DCMarvel: Access Denied
by Darth Yoshi
Summary: The Wardens are back as the Crossover-Earth is ravaged by a creature called Holocaust who has ties with the Joker.
1. Chapter 1

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 1

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Note: The opening scene is taken with artistic license from _DC Special Series Volume 5, Number 27: Batman VS. The Incredible Hulk, _published by DC Comics Inc, ©1981. Story by Len Wein. The Crossover Earth, before the Crisis… 

So many choices, so many things I could do; my imagination is only limited by the speed of thought. I can't process the information fast enough; I can't get all of the idea and fantasies to come out. My mind is a dam and the damn thing has broken!

The Batman watched in horror as the entire world seemed to twist and turn, morph and bend to the will of the Joker. The madman was now a god, in possession of powers granted to him by the Shaper of Worlds. All physical laws broke down before him; he saw with his ears and heard with his eyes, as the senses became nothing more than footnotes to the human machine.

The Hulk roared and then whimpered, his childlike mind trying to make sense of the insanity that was being displayed before him. The Hulk saw the world in black and white, good and evil, but now he could only feel despair and hopelessness. As each new sensation tore into his brain, the Hulk started to get angrier.

And the angrier the Hulk got, the stronger he became.

Batman knew that the situation was becoming drastic just by the way the Joker was babbling. He watched as his costume changed from that of the Dark Knight to one of a clown. The Joker's forehead creased in concentration and he started to drool slightly even as he started laughing.

This is far too much…I can't do all of this myself! Wouldn't it be nice if I could split myself in two? Divide the fun, divide the power! Well, not 50/50 that's for sure! Old Joker doesn't want to share that much with anyone, not even himself! 

_Batman's screaming at me and the Hulk doesn't look happy. Hell, I'm not happy! I can do anything…where is the creativity, the theater? Maybe if I did split myself off, gave a little of myself away and sent it flying into the future! Yeah, then maybe we'll meet up one day and I'll have someone to talk to!_

_Is that it? Did I do it? I thought about it, but I think about so many things. I see the past and the future…I can know anything and forget it all if I want. Boy, the Hulk really looks mad and my head is starting to hurt! Sure could use some gum right now…_

_Wait! This isn't right! I see the future, a white wave of anti-matter and then a rebirth. Too much information! I see galaxies and universes and is that God? Hi God! It's Joker! Want a ham sandwich? I like ham! Is it kosher? Hell, who cares?_

You're not God? You're me? A part of me? The future? Yes, I like pudding, too! Crap! The Hulk is going to hit me! Too much power! I WANT MY MOMMY!

The world returned to normal instantly, leaving a battered Batman and Hulk to ponder what had just transpired. Someone had given the power of creation to the Joker; thankfully he had not held it long. His frail human mind could not deal with being able to do anything. 

The Crossover Earth, after the Crisis… 

Henry Pym brought in the tray of lemonades and set it down on the table located in the rear of Avenger's mansion. It was a special day as members of the Justice League had stopped by for the annual volleyball tournament. In the yard proper, a team consisting of Hawkeye, Hellcat, Black Widow, Captain America and the Falcon were facing off against Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Green Lantern, the Flash and Wonder Woman. Hank set the drinks down and then took a seat next Janet Van Dyne.

The Atom reached across the table and grabbed a drink. Tasting it, he smiled. "Damn, I wish we could get Jarvis to come work at the Watchtower." The Avenger's butler was their most prized possession it seemed. "You can't imagine how bad it is when someone like the Batman makes coffee. Thick. Black. Viscous."

Janet laughed easily. "You boys are going to have to excuse me but Wonder Woman's swimsuit looks better than mine and I must know where she bought it!" Also known as the Wasp, Janet was the Avengers' current team leader and resident fashion expert. Shrinking down to insect form, she flew away from the table and headed to the game in play.

"That's a fine woman you have there, Hank," the Atom offered.

"I wouldn't exactly call her mine, Ray," the scientist began, "but I am lucky to have her in my life."

"So, what hero are you playing this week?" the Atom asked. During his long career as a super-hero, Hank Pym had assumed several identities, each one based on powers and equipment he developed through scientific means. "Well, Scott Lang is still doing the Ant-Man thing and you never know when Hawkeye over there is going to decide to become Goliath again! I'm thinking about sticking with Yellowjacket for now."

"Wasn't there a criminal that used that name and one of your costumes a few years back?"

Hank nodded. "Yes, but that's old hat. Let's talk about something exciting, like when are you going to get a girlfriend and all of us head to the cabin?" The two heroes, both scientists (Ray's specialty being physics), had been friends for several years. Each had supported the other through their divorces (though Hank was now back with Janet) and had also become quit the pair of fishermen. 

The Atom shrugged and then got a far-away look. "My love life has always been complicated, Hank. You're lucky that Jan is a hero, too, with similar powers. You have a lot in common. Jean and I, well, I guess being the Atom was more important to me."

"It's the work," Hank added. "I tried to retire, remember? Once this lifestyle gets in your blood, its hard to walk away from it."

"It doesn't lend itself well for a love life," the Atom replied. "Face it, I'm not Superman or Captain America; it's not like the women are pounding on the door for a date with the Atom!"

"Oh, I don't know…a little bird told me that Hellcat is interested in meeting you," Hank said with a grin. "She's a little younger than you…"

The Atom turned to regard the red head in the thong bathing suit that was happily spiking the ball past a bewildered Blue Beetle. "I might be persuaded!"

Hank laughed. "Great! I'll have Jean set it up!"

The Atom started to turn back when he noted something on the New York skyline. He pointed out past the mansion. "Crimson skies," he muttered.

Hank turned around. "That's near the Latverian embassy. Dr. Doom up to his old tricks again, I'd say."

"Going to do anything about it?"

Shaking his head, Hank refilled his glass from the pitcher. "Can't. No laws yet against creating weather front. His lawyers won that particular battle two years ago."

"Oh, yeah, now I remember…"

"Besides, that's near the HQ of the Fantastic Four, or at least the current incarnation of them! If they need us, they'll call." Hank took a drink. "If we don't respect each other's little piece of the action, we start having gratuitous super-hero fights, remember?"

The Atom nodded and a large grin came over his face. "Yeah, like when Superman handed all of you your asses!"

"Until Thor bonked him on the head," Hank pointed out.

A cool wind, welcome in the heat of the Big Apple's warmest summer yet, passed through the area, coming from the direction of the cloud formation. The Atom shook his head. "I'm off duty."

"Ben," Johnny Storm called into the hallway, "we've got trouble!"

The man-mountain known as the Thing stubbed out his cigar and stood up, the specially designed recliner groaning under the effort. "Damn it! My fav'rite show is comin' on!"

"You can watch 'The Dude Show' some other time! It looks like Doom is cooking something up at the embassy." The current leader of the Fantastic Four adjusted some monitors and examined the data scrolling on the screen. His sister and brother-in-law, former-founding members of the team as the Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic, had left the team only a month before for "quality" time.

Johnny knew they were trying to have another child. "Tell Plas and Karen to haul butt up to the roof. I'll warm up the Fantasticar!"

Minutes later, the Thing and Plastic Man were flying towards the Latverian embassy while the Human Torch and Power Girl raced ahead under their own power to scout the location. "You want me to contact the Titans?" Plastic Man asked.

The Thing grunted. "Naw, let's keep the babies in the crib. This ain't the Justice League anymore, Stretchy; the FF relies on itself."

Plastic Man accepted the admonishment. The fact that he had been asked by Reed Richards himself, the former leader of the Fantastic Four, was an honor that very few super-heroes received. Always there were four members, but not always the same. Plastic Man, once considered a nobody has-been in the same category as the Elongated Man, was now part of a team that was as respected as any of the larger ones. "Just thought I'd ask in case you get knocked out. I know Kara is getting tired of carrying you home all of the time."

"Keep talking like that and it'll be clobberin' time," the Thing joked. Ahead of them, Power Girl, now clad in a low-cut, tight fitting blue uniform, was closely pursuing the fiery tail of the Human Torch.  Karen Starr had fit in perfectly with the team, replacing not just the Invisible Woman but also taking the place of the She-Hulk, another replacement. This last time the cousin of the Hulk had decided to pursue an opportunity with the Justice Society when it reformed.

Plastic Man regarded the red clouds now spreading over the entire city. Every few moments, there was a flash of lightning, sometimes white and sometimes black. The Pliable Wonder shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. He could feel the hairs standing up. "Is it always like this when you face Dr. Doom?"

"Ha! That's right, he's never messed with ya Justice League wimps!"

Plastic Man stretched his neck so his head moved behind him to face the Thing. "I'm not League anymore, but you're right: Doom avoided confronting the League, but he's crossed horns with Superman and Wonder Woman before."

"Aw, Doc Doom is interested in fightin' people on his brain level," the Thing responded as he adjusted their speed. "He's been tryin' to be real subtle the past few years, 'specially since Luthor became president!"

"Yeah, talk about two peas in a pod. First thing our illustrious leader did was reestablish diplomatic relations with Lateveria…"

"Doom is also some kind of sorcerer, so who knows what the hell he's doin'."

Nodding, Plastic Man returned his head and neck to normal. "So, what's the plan?"

The Thing shrugged. "I'd say Johnny-boy and little Miss Cutie will just go up and knock on the door…ask what's goin' on…how's it hangin?"

"Actrumen Nosora Iganna Yofit!"

Victor Von Doom, scientist, magician and world leader, dropped his gauntleted hands and waited until the thunder cracked three times. The spell was working and soon he would open the gates to time and space. From there he would find the answers he was seeking regarding the whereabouts of his mother's soul.

A gypsy witch, she had been condemned to hell itself and her son had been spending most of his adult life trying to free her. Bargaining with the nether realms and the use of force had produced no results. Now was the time to look to other worlds, other realities for the answer. Somewhere in the annals of time was a way to rescue his mother.

Thankfully, President Lex Luthor had normalized relations between the United States and Lateveria, providing Doom a way to access his embassy. In the latter half of the 20th century Doom's support of Qurac had caused the president at the time to bar the leader of Latveria from entrance into the United States.

Certainly Doom could have still come, but his presence would have attracted the super-heroes like ants to a picnic lunch. 

"Unto me thou shalt come!" Doom commanded into the slowly forming rift before him. He had come across this spell in a tome he had liberated from underneath the Sphinx in ancient Egypt. He possessed a wondrous machine, his Time Platform that allowed him to travel to the past. With it, he went back to before the time the pyramids had been built and discovered a complete library of forgotten knowledge. 

"Avarish! Septunem! Avarish!"

The rift opened a little more and there were a few more thunder cracks. Behind the metal mask that covered his ruined face, Doom smiled. He predicted it would be another two minutes before the members of the Fantastic Four, a mockery of the team he was used to battling, would make a foolhardy attempt to breech his embassy's defenses.

He was about to speak the final part of the spell when he saw a hand reach out from within the rift and claw the air. It was a skinny hand, not at all what he was expecting. The hand was followed by an arm, then by a body and finally a head.

It was a man, a man dressed in a suit several years out of fashion. His skin was pale and his eyes were pink, an albino. The pink eyes were filled with anger. "Who are you?" the man asked.

"I am Doom!" he roared, angry that the spell had obviously failed. Doom had expected to grab a powerful demon to press into his service. "I am power! I am your master!"

The man smiled, his grin far too wide to be normal. His teeth were sharpened black blades. "Really?" He took a step towards Doom. "I am a wave of death coming to wash over you." Another step. "I am blood-filled rage with a primal scream." Step. "I am a holocaust here to remove your race from existence."

Fifteen minutes later, Power Girl punched through the heat-tempered wall and she and the Human Torch stepped into Doom's private sanctum. Outside in the passageway, the Thing and Plastic Man were arguing over who would get to battle the last Doombot. 

"Anything?" the Torch asked as he extinguished his flame. Power Girl held up a finger and cocked her head. Her hearing was enhanced above that of normal humans and she was listening for any sounds outside of the battle taking place.

As she did so, Johnny Storm scanned the room. There were several braziers burning and there was a peculiar smell in the air. He started to slowly walk around, Power Girl taking his lead and moving to the opposite side of the room.

"Any of you mooks hear any more of dat thunder?" the Thing asked as he stepped in, holding the left arm of a Doombot.

"Now that you mention it, you're right," Power Girl said as she examined a large painting of Doom without his normal ugly mug. She could see why he had been so vain; he was once a very handsome man.

"What is that smell?" Johnny asked aloud.

"Smells like burning plastic," Plastic Man said as he entered the room.

"We should be so lucky," the Thing joked. He sniffed the air. "Gawd! It smells like a bad cigar!"

"You'd be the expert on those," Power Girl said as she stepped down several stone stairs into a pit area. "Crap!"

The other members of the team ran over as the Maid of Might stumbled backwards up the steps. "What the hell is that?" she exclaimed, pointing towards the floor. Deposited there was something smoking, the source of the bad smell. It looked like a blackened lump of metal and rubber.

"That ain't plastic," Plastic Man said, covering his mouth. "That's Doom!"

Earth-T, the headquarters of the Wardens… 

"We call it Monitor Duty, but we don't have monitors…"

Aquagirl regarded her boyfriend and shook her head. He complained about everything. She supposed it was the inactivity of maintaining a watch over the headquarters mansion of the Wardens that really burned Kid Flash's britches. "Roy, we have a monitor, of sorts," she offered.

He pointed to the twelve-foot high television screen. "We have a Kryptonian movie screen!" He picked up a bag of chips and started munching on them. "Why do we always get stuck with this job? I'd rather be doing other things."

She blushed. "You are insatiable, Roy Harper! We get this job because we live in the mansion. The other members take their turns! Just because you're suddenly horny…"

"Suddenly? Babe, I'm that way all of the time! I mean my girlfriend runs around in a bathing suit all of the time. Your favorite pastime is skinny-dipping!"

She threw an apple at him, which he caught in the blink of an eye. "I guess I'm just bored. Anything come out of the rift recently?"

The rift was actually a distortion in reality in which persons whose realities had been destroyed occasionally walked out of. It had been formed when this planet had been created by the Time-Guardian. The Time-Guardian was now gone, but the rift remained and under the agreement reached between the Wardens and the Legion of Doom under Dominus, both teams monitored it to check for potential members.

"Two chickens that could talk," she replied.

"Really?"

A klaxon prevented her from responding and with the grace of a ballet dancer; she jumped over the couch and stepped up to the control panel for the screen. A few seconds later, a man in red armor appeared. "Dominus!"

"Ah, the fish-whore, I thought I smelled you," the villain replied. 

"Hey!" Kid Flash said, throwing down the bag of chips and stepping up to the screen. He pointed at Dominus. "I'll kick your ass you say that again!"

"And break the truce?" he asked in a mocking tone. In order to prevent another war like the one that killed nearly every metahuman on the planet, Nightwing, leader of the Wardens and Dominus had agreed to a seven-year truce. Dominus was permitted, so long as he did not commit any crimes (or at least get caught committing them) to recruit for the Legion. Recruitment for both teams came from the rift. "My Legion is small, but we are mighty."

Aquagirl interrupted. "What do you want?"

"I just thought I'd tell you something is coming through the rift."

She looked down at the detector. "We show nothing…"

"Ha! Kryptonian second-grade science." Almost on cue, the alarm on the Warden's control panel went off. Behind his mask, Dominus smirked. 'I just thought I'd tell you. I'm sending Wendy to meet whomever it is."

Aquagirl clenched her fist. When the Wardens had been fighting the Legion under the direction of the Time-Guardian, Wendy had paid special attention to Aquagirl when she was their prisoner. 

"I'll meet her," Kid Flash said, giving Aquagirl a peck on the cheek. She then flipped the monitor off before Dominus could say anything else. "I'll hurry back."

Three seconds later, Kid Flash halted in front of the rift, located at the spot where the old Hall of Justice had been located, back before the final battle with the Time-Guardian. Standing there was Wendy, once a clean, friendly mascot of a team called the Super-Friends. Now, wearing a black leather bikini top and pants, complete with five-inch heels, she was nothing more than a metahuman nymphomaniac.

"Mmmm, you look tasty," she said, staring at his crotch.

He flipped her off. "Skank."

"How's your girlfriend?"

Kid Flash held his temper in check; he and Aquagirl had already discussed exactly what it was Wendy had done to her. None of it was pretty or natural, but it was important to maintain the truce. Otherwise, more people were going to die so long as the rift existed. Nightwing's calculations said it would last no longer that seven more years, the exact timing of the truce. "Better than you, I'm sure."

"You want me," she replied and then stuck out her tongue.

"Yeah, dead," he muttered.

There was a sudden flash and eight figures stepped out of the rift. "Oooooh, group action," Wendy said, clapping her hands.

Kid Flash recognized four of the eight, but it was the large green one that he couldn't stop looking at. Seven feet of muscles and eyes that were filled with plain meanness. The apparent leader of the group stepped forward, a man who appeared to be wearing the American flag for a costume and carrying a round shield of the same motif.

"I hope you can help us," the man said.

Kid Flash looked over to Wendy. "I win. Bad guys never wear the flag."

"My panties are red, white and blue," she replied, but she could already sense that these were not recruits for the Legion. She especially felt uncomfortable with Wonder Woman looking at her and cracking her knuckles.

As Wendy leapt into the air, the leader held a hand out to Kid Flash. "I'm Captain America and we're the Avengers."


	2. Chapter 2

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 2

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

The Crossover Earth… 

The creature looked out over the burning carnage that had once been Metropolis and laughed to itself. Here had been the last bastion of resistance to its rule; here was where Superman had finally fallen in a vain attempt to protect the last of the super-heroes. Now, as fires spread throughout the urban sprawl and the screams of the innocent played like a fine opera in the creature's ears, it paused, wondering what to do next.

Naturally, the idea of eradicating every last living thing on the Earth came to mind first, but the creature knew it had to prepare for a long journey. Earth was a shining jewel, certainly, but it wasn't the only one. There were so many races and peoples to conquer, so many new ways of death to dream of. 

Thanagar, Daxam, the Shi'ar Empire, the Skrulls and Rann were only a few among the tasty morsels being laid out before the creature. Decision-making did not come easy to it as it considered every possibility, a flaw it had inherited from its father. 

A sudden movement caught the creature's attention and it watched as two children, a male and female barely in their teens, tried to scurry behind some rubble and out of view. They were no threat, but they represented life and therefore, they were a joke. Life was nothing more than joke. Death was the punch line.

The creature gritted its black teeth and took a step forward. Time shimmered and spun and then it was next to the children. The male wet himself and the female fainted. These responses did nothing for the creature except make it pause to consider why some victims did this and others didn't. None of it added or took away from the satisfaction it achieved by killing.

The make died first, his throat ripped out by those ebony spikes within the creature's mouth. The boy made strangle gurgling sounds as his blood flowed freely away from his body, his young heart beating wildly. The body started to twitch and the creature kicked it aside so that it would not distract it from its other kill.

Females were especially pleasant to kill. Perhaps it was because of their strong connection to life; after all, it was the children that grew in their womb. They seemed to have a more natural aversion to dying and they always struggled harder against it. Males tended to try to be heroic, as if it mattered. Death was death was death. 

The creature hunched down and sat there, examining the body of the female, his eyes tracing the curves. They brought no sense of pleasure, no arousal within his being. He had no desire to take her as a woman; she was just another kill. His father had not bequeathed a sexual drive in him and while it allowed him to focus on his mission, he always assumed that it meant he was missing out on something. If he could get aroused, could he not then reproduce?

If he reproduced, would he gain greater pleasure in destroying his children, in effect killing himself? The ultimate irony, the supreme joke.

She began to stir and he watched as her eyes opened to see death staring her in the face. Her companion's blood dripped from the creature's mouth, forming a pool at his feet and his pink eyes bore into her like drills. She began to shake and then her eyes rolled back in her head. 

He had frightened her to death.

The creature laughed, howling like a banshee caught in a bear trap. He had just killed two with no effort. His efficiency was increasing. At this rate, he would be done with this world in another year or so.

Then it was off to the stars.

The DC Universe… 

"Get it out of my mind! Get it out!" the Joker cried as he struggled against the restraints holding him to his bed. At the observation window for his cell, the Batman, Commissioner Gordon and a resident psychiatrist for the Arkham Asylum stared in disbelief. 

"He's really going nuts in there," the doctor offered. "Records show he's never displayed symptoms like this."

Batman moved closer to the one-way glass. "When did it start?"

"About a week ago. One minute he was fine, telling dirty jokes to the staff…he does that to get extra dessert…and then the next he fell to the floor, literally pulling the hair out of his head." He opened up a file folder and flipped through some pages. "The Joker has always been…difficult…but he's never heard voices, at least voices he didn't want to continue a conversation with."

"Is it possible he's on drugs?" Gordon asked. The Joker was in obvious pain, but the Commissioner could care less. In fact, he took some slight pleasure in watching the spectacle. The Joker was Jim Gordon's dark shadow, as much his nemesis as the Clown Prince was Batman's. It was the Joker that had crippled Gordon's daughter and murdered his second wife.

Still, Gordon was a police officer and if there was evidence of a crime here he was obligated by law and oath to investigate it. "We ran a full tox screen on him. You'd be surprised what's floating around in his blood!"

"Drugs?" the Batman asked.

The doctor indicated that the tests had come back negative. "Still, something is going on. It could be just another stage of his insanity. Entire text books could be written about the mind of the Joker…"

"Bathroom reading as far as I'm concerned, doctor," Gordon said, turning away from the glass. "I see no evidence of a crime. Leave him restrained. Hell, try some electric shock therapy for all I care."

The doctor tried to hold him up. "He's been losing a lot of weight as well. He won't eat, complains that something is eating him alive."

"Good."

"I asked you both here because," he turned to the Batman, "some of you have some experience with persons who display telepathic abilities."

Batman nodded and Gordon stopped, a heavy sigh blowing by his lips. "You believe that someone may be trying to control the Joker's mind?'

The doctor shrugged. "To be honest, I don't believe in such things, but I'm stumped right now." He closed the folder. "He's a dying, gentleman, slowly being killed by something I can't find. Maybe you can help."

"Ain't this a fine kettle of sh…"

"Jim," Batman said with a scowl. The Commissioner shrugged and pulled out a cell phone and dialed in a number. He moved away for privacy and the Batman again peered in on his greatest foe.

Suddenly the Joker tried to sit up. His neck muscles pooped out from the effort and he bit through his bottom lip with the effort. "Batman! Batman! Stop it! He's destroying everything! Anything! Even the joke…God...it hurts so much…"

Then the criminal passed out, blood running from his wound onto the bed. The doctor shook his head. "What the hell makes the Joker hate killing?"

Batman suppressed a shiver. "Hell indeed." 

Earth-T… 

Nightwing brought the meeting officially to order. "This is our first real mission planning session since the defeat of the Time-Guardian, so I'd like to get some procedures down." He turned to the scarlet haired Super-Woman, his vice-chair. "Shyla, would you begin the roll call for the record?"

She nodded and typed some commands into a laptop. "Kid Flash?"

"Yup."

"Aquagirl?"

"Present."

"Flying Fox?"

"Here, Ma'am."

"Hawkman?"

"Hell, yes; let's go kick some ass!"

"Dawnstar?"

"Here."

"Huntress?"

"Right next to ya."

Super-Woman looked up at Nightwing. "With the exception of our reserve members, Deadman, Robin and the Dark Flash, the entire membership is here." She then said something in their native Kryptonian. He nodded and she turned back to the seated heroes. "We also have several heroes present from a world that has been designated as Earth-CA: Captain America, Shamrock, Spider-Man, Aqualad, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, the Human Torch and Dr. Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk."

Nods and greetings were exchanged, but there was also some tension in the air. Aqualad, one from a world called Earth-1, had been Aquagirl's lover until he had been killed during the Crisis in Infinite Earths. When this Aqualad had shown up with Kid Flash the day before, Aquagirl had fainted. Since that time she had been very quiet and had been avoiding both men.

"I'd like to welcome our guests," Nightwing began, his baritone voice seeming to come out in stereo (it actually was as he applied super-ventriloquism to his speech). "We have been expecting many people to come through the rift and I personally was beginning to think we never would realize this dream. This world, my new friends, sits on a time nexus, a point in which realities and parallel universes collide. At these points, it is possible to tear a hole, if you will, into the very fabric of time. Through this hole, persons displaced from their home universes may find a new home.

"For example, my name is Nightwing, yet I'm sure I bear no resemblance to the hero most of you know. I am a Kryptonian, from the same world as Superman and Super-Woman here," he said, gesturing to his vice-chairperson. "I come from a galaxy, a reality previously referred to as Earth-1. My reality was destroyed in an event we call the Crisis."

There were eight faces looking at him in some confusion. Captain America, the chosen leader of the newcomers, replied. "I'm afraid this event is not known to us, but if its anything like what we've just escaped from, then the fact that you survived fills us with hope."

Bruce Banner leaned forward and put his hands on the table. "I'm a scientist, but I specialize in nuclear physics, not temporal. However, if I'm getting the idea, here, this is a sort of last stop on the reality train."

Nightwing nodded. "For lack of better terminology, yes. After you have been here long enough, your quantum structure will begin to acclimate to this universe. This is a special reality where some of the natural laws of time do not apply. However, this is also a universe full of innocent lives. We, the Wardens, have dedicated our lives to protecting this world, and time if necessary. This is our home and it looks as if this is your now as well."

"I'm afraid we can't accept that," Captain America said, standing up. He seemed to begin to radiate instant charisma as he spoke, his voice having the same effect as Nightwing's but without the benefit of super-powers. "We used a time machine on our home world to travel one week back in time to try and stop Dr. Doom from releasing the Holocaust."

"Doc who?" Kid Flash asked, scratching his head. He was trying hard to listen, but he could not help but notice how Aqualad and Aquagirl were trading glances.

"Dr. Doom; he's a major villain from our world, ruler of a small European country called Latveria. He used mystical powers to summon forth a creature called the Holocaust. This creature has devastated our world." He waved his hand to the Human Torch, who was sporting an eye patch and some fresh wounds around the eye. "Mr. Storm is the leader of a group called the Fantastic Four. They tried to intercept Doom when they noted he was causing the weather to change in New York. They were too late; Doom was dead before they got there."

"As we fought," Wonder Woman started, taking up the narrative, "the creature simply became too powerful. It was almost as if in each passing second, it gain new energy. It did not tire, it had no remorse, and it was unstoppable."

"Within two days, it had decimated the military forces of the United States," Spider-Man said as he sipped at his hot chocolate, his mask lifted just enough to reveal his mouth. "After that, the Justice Society. Then the League. The Avengers. Defenders. Fantastic Four. Titans. Hero after hero fell. Finally, Johnny's brother-in-law, Mr. Fantastic, came up with the idea that using Doom's time platform, a small party of heroes could go back and stop Doc before he did anything."

"So, why did you end up here?" the Flying Fox asked.

"I'm pretty smart, but I don't know how a time machine works," Spider-Man said. He indicated Bruce Banner with his mug. "He's the brains."

The nuclear scientist blushed. "It's possible, I suppose, that we messed up some controls and settings, caused us to get sucked off of the platform and dropped in the rift."

"If you know what the settings were, I might be able to help," Nightwing said, looking down at Super-Woman. She nodded and again they spoke in their native tongue. After a moment, he turned back. "Obviously, this is not your world and you want to save your own. We would be remiss in our duties of we didn't offer you aid."

Captain America's face darkened. "Your world needs you, Nightwing. You say you're Kryptonian, but before we left, I saw the Holocaust rip Superman to pieces. This is our problem and I appreciate your offer and admire your bravery. It takes a true hero to leap into danger blindly for the sake of those who cannot defend themselves. You remind me of all of the young men I saw charge enemy lines during the great war, throwing caution to the wind in order to serve the greater good."

"We are sworn to protect anything related to time," the Huntress said and receiving an approving nod from Nightwing. "Like it or not, we are involved already. I agree that the team needs to be cautious because the Legion of Doom is still out there."

"Agreed," Nightwing said as he rubbed his chin. "Perhaps we could send only part of the team along to help. Would you accept that aid, Captain?"

The man in the costume the colors of the American flag smiled. "That would be sufficient. I cannot abide by saving one world only to leave another defenseless."

"Very well. Super-Woman, Hawkman, Huntress and Aquagirl will go with Captain America back to his world once we determine its location. I'll ask Deadman to use his contacts to find out any information on this Holocaust."

"It was the Joker," Batgirl said.

All eyes turned to her. The woman in the dark costume, with a cowl that completely hid her face, bowed her head. "I recognized him. It was and was not the Joker. It looked like him, but it was missing something. A soul. Even the Joker has a soul."

The Huntress smirked. "A black one, that's for sure. Well, with one exception. The Joker of this world died when he realized who the Time-Guardian was. He was the only sane person on an insane world at the time."

"Well, we have another insane world if you can find someone like him," Batgirl said.


	3. Chapter 3

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 3

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

The Crossover Earth… 

"We acknowledge that you are our master, our lord, and our savior," the acolyte said kneeling before Holocaust. The creature cocked its head, wondering what this was about. Here were humans that did not run in terror but instead seemed almost thrilled to see him. The creature was confused and that did not set well with it.

In a rage, it reached out and grabbed the kneeling acolyte and hauled him up by his throat. "Take me, father!" he cried out while reaching up and trying to increase the pressure of the creature's grip. In response, Holocaust obliged and his fingers clawed through the man's throat.

Several of the others, almost a full score began to moan as if in ecstasy and the creature wondered who was truly the insane was. "Speak!" it barked.

A female stood up and dropped her red robes, revealing her naked flesh. "Take me, my lord, let me carry your blessed child!"

Again, the creature was shocked and also angry. There was no stirring in his loins and he knew it was because he was not complete. He was not the whole of what he should have been. He was a part. "Get out of my sight!"

The woman immediately backed up, stopped down for her robe and then ran to the back of the crowd. Another acolyte stepped forward, a large dark-skinned man with a long scar down his cheek. "I am Collin, a disciple of the Church of Blood. You are our savior in his true form, we know this for you have come and slain the pretender!"

The creature looked back to his first kill of the day, the one called Brother Blood. He had no idea of the significance of the man until now. These people worshipped him! 

Now they wanted to lift Holocaust to the level of a god. The creature liked this idea and a new sensation filled its dark heart. "Yes. I am your god."

"You are called Holocaust. We shall be your host, the Host of Holocaust!"

"Yes! We are your servants!"

"Punish us!"

The creature liked this new feeling, it fit well with the dark desires it had in its mind. It would kill all who opposed it and accept the fealty of those who accepted him as their god. "I am a god!" he cried out loud, enjoying the sound of it.

"Yes, lord, yes!" Collin exclaimed. "And there are more! We have soldiers for you, mercenaries that have agreed to work for you in exchange for the chance to revel in your victories over the sheep of this world!"

Holocaust smoothed out his bloodstained suit. "Bring them before me."

Seven costumed figures came forward and kneeled before him. "You are my Savage Seven, my elite guard. It is your duty to hunt down all of the heroes in this world and bring me their hearts!"

"We will perform this service," the chosen leader of the Savage Seven said from behind his black mask with the large white bulls eye on the forehead.  "But, what heroes are left?"

"Despair, madness, doom and destruction make heroes. They will come. I must not be distracted from my duties!" Holocaust warned. Though his mental powers were great, he found the willpower of this leader were able to defeat his subtle probes. Perhaps there was as much anger and rage in this man as in he. A kindred spirit?

Holocaust now found himself wondering about friendship. Again the creature realized that the component that made it truly alive was missing, but what exactly was that piece? Not fatherhood; not lust and not love. Perhaps godlike status and friendship? "What is your name?"

The villain looked up into the ghastly face. The pink eyes filled with a hunger for knowledge and the villain thought he saw something like desperation. "I am called Bullseye. I am an assassin, an artist in the ways of death."

"Life and death are but a tragic comedy," Holocaust said. "An artists of one is a critic of the other. Can you be loyal to a god of death if all you care about is your life?"

Bullseye smirked. "I'll kill my own mother to save my own neck."

**Earth-T…**

Deadman was enjoying his newest body. His original body on this world of a rather obese pornographer had finally given out after the defeat of the Time-Guardian (actually, the Spectre had told him either give it up or wear it for eternity!). Now he paraded around the Warden's mansion in a younger, firmer body, the body of a male model that had died of a drug overdose. It would be weeks before this new skin would start to rot.

The spirit of Boston Brand, the true self of Deadman, was the only member of the team to regularly access the Prime Universe. For most of the members of the Wardens, the Prime Universe represented the pure timeline, the river from which the springs of Hypertime flowed. He was here to change those beliefs.

The Huntress and Nightwing waited patiently by the pool for Deadman to finish getting used to his new body. She pulled out a cell phone and contacted her stockbroker as she looked through the paper. Her lover and leader was busy writing equations while letting the sun tan his bare chest.

"Okay, it's time for the briefing," Deadman said as he stepped out next to the pool. 

The Huntress hung up the phone and Nightwing turned his attention to his teammate. "Should we get the rest of the team?"

Deadman shook his head. "Naw, let 'em rest, especially the new guys. They've had a rough way to go." He dipped a toe in the water and then moved over to sit with his friends. "We have a slight problem."

It always seemed to start out that way Nightwing thought, but he tried to remain positive. "Then we will solve it…together."

Deadman nodded. "These people, these Avengers, are from a world called the Cross-Over Earth, a place where two distinct dimensions interact. Captain America and the other heroes that you don't recognize are alternates based upon real individuals found in a dimension full of true marvels."

"This 'Marvel Universe' as you call it, it is entirely different from our own?" the Huntress asked.

Deadman told her it was. "I can't even access it. Why it exists, I can't tell you; I can only say for certain that it is there and it is real. There are more than just that one. From what I've been able to learn there are literally hundreds of dimensions out there with their own timelines."

"Incredible," Nightwing murmured. "This is a whole new chapter of temporal physics! The universe is indeed an ironic mistress."

"Yeah, I thought it was pretty screwed up, too," Deadman responded with sarcasm. "This Cross-Over Earth is where the realities of our Prime Universe and Captain America's Prime Universe overlap. As such, it is a place where everything from both exists together in harmony. Every once in awhile, a Hypertime string or some other 'what if' scenario actually causes persons from the Prime Universes to slip into this world where they exist for awhile."

"So, it's possible that if you're on this planet, in this dimension I should say, that if you meet Batman, it might be the real one?" Nightwing asked.

"Yeah, ain't it a hoot? I asked and asked what the purpose of all of this was, but I couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone," the hero responded. "One of those cosmic mysteries I suppose."

"Well, then I bet these people need to get back to their own world," the Huntress asked. Then she thought for a moment. "Wait! If what everyone is saying is true, then this buffer zone is a very hostile place! Anyone from either prime universe entering there could be killed! That could have disastrous effects!"

"Bright girl," Deadman said with a nudge to the Huntress. "Except that the Cross-Over Earth, in fact all of them, are a safety device with a back-up. If one gets screwed up, then it becomes a Hypertime variant and a new one is created to ensure that the buffer zone remains intact."

"So, their world is by itself now? Sort of like ours?"

Nightwing answered, having figured out the theory. "Yes, it will be it's own little reality until it's timeline dies out through entropy."

"Problem is that the creature that they described, this Holocaust," Deadman said as he rubbed a hand over his beard stubble, "is something…odd."

"Odd? How so?" Huntress asked.

"It's hard to explain, but this creature is made from something akin to dream energy, and dreams do not obey dimensional boundaries."

"This thing could travel to other dimensions, then?"

Deadman was silent for a moment. "Hell, it could destroy dimensions. Not just these overlapping ones, but also the main ones. Create Hypertime disturbances and all kinds of chaos."

"Sounds like our kind of problem," Nightwing remarked. He tapped a finger on the table. "Do we contain the threat or what?"

"If he is a dream being," the Huntress started, "then he has to have some sort of anchor in the real world, right? He has to draw power from the nightmares of the living, correct?"

"Until he either leeches everything from that person," Deadman said. "I'm not the expert on things like this, but I do know that Holocaust is a dream version of the Joker. The Earth-1 version."

"Dangerous S.O.B.," Nightwing said. The Joker of Earth-2 had been a foe of both the Huntress and her father, the Batman, but he was a mere 'joke' compared to his Earth-1 counterpart. And both of them were nothing when held up to the true Clown Prince of Crime in the Prime Universe. "That means the real Joker is probably dying."

"Good riddance," the Huntress replied. "I agree with what Batgirl said. The Joker is a monster. Let him die."

"This is something we need to bring before the membership," Nightwing said.

Aquagirl and Super-Woman walked out, towels and sun tan lotion in hand. "Sounds serious, Van," Super-Woman said as she laid the towel down on a lounge chair. Deadman whistled as she bent over. "Want to see what a couple doses of X-Ray vision do to that body you're wearing, Boston?" she asked.

"We were talking about the Joker," the Huntress interrupted. "He may be dying."

"Aren't we sworn to protect all life and let the courts render judgment?" Aquagirl asked. The rest of the team was silent. "I don't think this needs to go before the general membership; this is something that is ingrained in all of us. Maybe the Joker does need to die for the crimes he's committed, but he doesn't need to because we decided not to help him." She put her hands on her hips. "I seem to remember that the Joker saved this world and lost his life over it."

"Perhaps we should consider sending someone to check on the Joker," Super-Woman said, biting her bottom lip. Being a hero meant making choices she wasn't sure she was comfortable with.

"Go to the Prime?" Kid Flash called out, carrying a tray of sandwiches. Everyone looked to him. "Hey, I'm all for it!"

"Where are the others?" Deadman asked.

"Hawkman and Dawnstar are with the Avengers down in the training room and Bruce is on monitor duty. I think he's playing a video game with Jason over the internet." He set the tray down and stretched. He felt out of place being in costume and ran in the blink of an eye up to his room and back, brandishing a yellow pair of swim trucks with a black lightning bolt on the fanny. 

"Can I go?" he asked.

"No!" Deadman said quickly. "No more multiple Roy Harpers on any planet!" Their adventure with the Time-Guardian had proven that too much of anything was not good. Kid Flash muttered a curse under his breath and then hurriedly jumped into the pool, chased by Aquagirl. "Guess if he don't go, she don't go."

"She might have another reason for hanging around," Super-Woman said, hinting at Aquagirl's sudden interest in Aqualad. "If it's the Joker, then maybe some of our bat-related members should go."

"I'd like it of one of my people went along," Captain America said as he walked out, Johnny Storm behind him. "I apologize for eavesdropping, but once I saw all of you together, I assumed it was a war council."

"Not at all, Captain," Nightwing said, standing. "We actually conduct a lot of informal meetings around the pool."

The leader of the Avengers joined them, but Johnny stood back, his hand drifting up to his eye patch. All of the Wardens had noted that the leader of the Fantastic Four seemed to be preoccupied with his injury and inquiries into how he got it were met with a silence. "I can appreciate that and I can also appreciate the young ladies' argument. If the Joker is in danger because of Holocaust, then he needs to be rescued as well."

Deadman stood up and introduced himself as he shook Captain America's hand. Johnny continued to stand away and only nodded as Deadman acknowledged him. "I'm sure we have our own Boston Brand, but I can't say that I've ever met him," the Avenger said.

"I think it would be a good idea to check on the Joker; that would at least confirm our theory," the Huntress said.

"While another party goes to my world to combat Holocaust." Captain America looked down. "Unfortunately, our world will never be the same."

"But it can be saved, Cap," Nightwing said.

"Doesn't matter, so long as that creature dies," Johnny said. "With your help, we'll have a chance." 

Nightwing agreed to the plan. "Huntress and whomever you decide will go the Prime Universe for recon on the Joker."

"Good. When my team gets to my world, we'll split into two groups. One will run cover, harassing Holocaust while the other tries to see if Dr. Doom left any notes about what he was doing. Perhaps there is a way to undo what he did." Captain America saw the disbelieving looks and smiled. "Only a fool passes up even the slimmest chance."

There were several nods and Johnny abruptly turned and went back into the mansion, dodging a splash by Kid Flash.

If the younger hero had seen the look of death that Johnny had as he considered the water attack, his heart would have froze.

**The DC Universe…**

"I'm not a psychiatrist," the Martian Manhunter said as he reviewed the tapes of the Joker from the Arkham Asylum. Batman stood behind him, his cape wrapped around him. "I'd say he's crazy."

"That's not funny," Batman said coldly.

"I wasn't being humorous. The Joker is insane when compared to a normal, rational human being…"

"None of those around here."

"Indeed. As I was saying, normally the Joker's mental state is at a certain level of insanity; he is surpassing that level. In effect, something is making the Joker go crazy." The Manhunter turned off the tape and stood up, his massive green frame eclipsing Batman's. "It has to be an outside source. I would guess that he is being deprived of his dreams."

"Explain."

"Dreams are what the human mind use to get rid of the garbage; it is the cleaning process of the psyche. Even the Joker must dream." The alien seemed to shiver slightly; years before he had made the mistake of using his telepathic abilities to enter the mind of the criminal. He was still performing mental exercises to remove the demons from his brain. "If he is being denied his dreams, he will go insane."

"He already is insane."

"Then he'll die."

The Batman already knew that, but he had hoped that the big Martian would have found a more simple answer to the Joker's problem. The Clown Prince had asked for Batman's help and the Caped Crusader's code of honor prevented him from denying that request.

"Who could do this?" he asked.

The Manhunter shrugged. "Several persons. Doctor Destiny for one; but that is assuming this is not mystical in nature. I would recommend looking into anyone with a grudge against the Joker."

"That will narrow it down," Batman replied sarcastically. "I've got Robin watching him; will he be okay?"

Nodding, the Manhunter moved over to one of the security monitors and adjusted its focus. Even though they were on the moon, security was important and there was no excuse for being lax. More than once, the JLA Watchtower had been infiltrated. "If it was something with an area effect, then the doctors attending the Joker would have been affected."

"I can't watch him forever and I'm limited in resources," Batman responded with a sigh. "Nightwing has actually killed the Joker once before and the Huntress will do it just for fun."

"Are you asking me to take your monitor duties?" 

Batman gave a little grin. "I'll send up those _Dukes of Hazzard_ DVD's you wanted."

"Ah, blackmail, an interesting human creation; I see its benefits." The Martian moved back to his chair, not at all upset about taking over the duties. He practically lived in the Watchtower and would have been here anyway. "Do be careful, Batman. If you believe that the Joker was unpredictable before, now he will be worse. I will search through the databases for any more information."

Batman was satisfied with the answer and bid his friend good-bye. He would have preferred if the Manhunter had gone with him, but he knew how leery the alien was of getting too close to the Joker. He didn't blame him; whenever the Batman tried to consider what it must be like to think like his nemesis, it made him shiver.

He couldn't imagine anything worse than the thoughts of the Joker. 


	4. Chapter 4

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 4

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

The Crossover Earth… 

"You killed the other members of my Savage Seven," Holocaust said. The creature was becoming accustomed to being worshipped and when he spoke, he expected a certain amount of fear to be radiated from his audience. Bullseye generated no such feelings; in fact his manner suggested boredom with the ceremony of the conversation. The villain pulled out a cigarette and lit it, demonstrating his contempt for life once again. "You choose not to answer me?"

"Our god is displeased!" an acolyte shouted before impaling herself on a set of spikes; several sets were arranged throughout the throne room of the Church of Blood and bodies in various state of decomposition were stuck to them. Flies buzzed around pools of blood and Bullseye noted that the air had taken on a coppery taste. The cigarette helped cleanse his mouth of it.

Over the past few days he had seen disciple after disciple willingly cause harm and death to themselves, all in an effort to please this new gods they had found. Attrition, he thought, should have slowed the process, but more and more people were joining up with the Church. Holocaust seemed to have an almost hypnotic effect on the weak-minded as was demonstrated by the types of people who wished to kneel before him. Hookers, whores, pimps, addicts, pedophiles, stockbrokers and attorneys came in literal droves. They surrendered themselves to any and all tortures the creature wanted to inflict on them. 

Most pleaded for death, but some begged for pain. Bullseye didn't care; so long as he remained loyal to Holocaust, he got to live. As long as he was alive, he would have the time needed to put himself in charge. "I don't like competition. Why do you need seven when one can do the job?"

"You feel you are efficient?"

"No, I know that I'm the best and you know it as well," the villain said as two twin girls, no more than sixteen but with eyes that told of a longer life on the cold streets, began to stab each other with large daggers. They didn't cry out but instead stabbed harder. By the time one was dead and the other lay dying, Bullseye was beginning to feel sick. 

"I would think my amusement would please you," Holocaust said, black teeth showing in a feral grin. His pink eyes were wide with anticipation. Of all of the humans he had encountered, Bullseye was the most intriguing. He was a natural predator, the top of the human food chain. Cold. Calculating. Something to be admired.

"Waste of time. Killing your enemies is one thing. Killing innocents is another. Killing for pleasure I can even understand. These people kill because they seek to please you and we both know that it doesn't even put a rise in your Levis." He threw down the cigarette and it extinguished in a puddle of blood. "It's a nice distraction, but you crave something more."

"Yes," Holocaust said. "I don't know what it is…what is it that a god craves?"

"Power."

"But I have power. I am the god of blood, pain and death; I have my faithful in which to control." Holocaust cast a glance at one of his personal guard and the man pulled a gun and shot himself in the chest.

"True power comes from ruling over those who don't want to be ruled," Bullseye said. "It's what makes murder so fun. People who don't want to die make the best victims and this," he indicated with his hand the piling bodies, "is useless slaughter."

"Yes," Holocaust said, nodding; Bullseye and he thought alike. Here was his chosen messenger, his harbinger of darkness, and his black angel of death. "I knew my faith in you was not misplaced."

Bullseye bowed his head. "I live only to serve."

"Yes, but whom do you serve? Do you serve your dark god or do your serve yourself?"

Bullseye laughed. "I don't believe in God, so that should tell you something."

The creature was about to respond when it sensed a change in the air. Something not tainted by death, something fully alive was quickly approaching. The creature stood and smoothed out the red suit it now sported. Bullseye could tell by the intensity in the pink eyes that his new master was preparing to fight. The villain moved slowly to a better position.

The forward wall of the chamber exploded, a cloud of plaster dust and sheet rock raining down on the occupants. Several acolytes were tossed aside, thrown like rag dolls. Out of the smoky haze two large figures emerged. "Verily, spawn of Hela, Thor, son of Odin and defender of Asgard doth come to bring about justice!"

Next to him stood a female brandishing a large morning star. "And know that Barda, mightiest of the Female Furies, stands by his side to fight for New Genesis!"

Thor's muscles bulged as he brought up his arm and pointed his enchanted hammer towards Holocaust. "Devil! Mighty Mjolnir shall bring about thy reckoning!" The thunder god then began to spin the mystical uru hammer in a circle, whirling it faster and faster until it became a blur. Holocaust did not move, instead waiting for the toss; Bullseye doubted that even the impressive demon-creature could survive a direct hit.

The hammer raced across the distance between them and hit hard. The sound was akin to a mountain slamming into a steel planet and Holocaust was thrown back and through the far wall. Barda did not wait for the sound to dissipate; with a war cry she was off and running, leaping through the hole with her weapon held high.

Seconds later, Mjolnir, Thor's enchanted hammer, returned to his outstretched hand. The god looked at the depravity around him and shook his head. "Never has Thor seen such vileness! By my father's beard, a cleansing is required!"

A score of loyal Blood cultists rushed the son of Odin, many of them holding daggers and knifes encrusted with blood. Thor made no move to stop them, but instead let each and every one destroy their weapon against his hardened flesh. Some tried to punch him, only to break fingers and wrists on his body.

Bullseye watched all of this from the safety of his hiding place. He briefly wondered if he could possibly find a weak spot on the thunder god. Perhaps the eyes or the ears? It didn't matter; he wasn't about to tangle with the Avengers' main gun. It was time for him to make a hasty departure. After all, thanks to Holocaust, there were hardly any heroes left in New York. No more Daredevil. No more Booster Gold. No more Spider-Man. No more Green Lantern. The city would finally be his and his alone!

One of the acolytes, a small man with a grotesque face and purple cloak approached him. "They are no match for the godling," he whispered.

Bullseye thought about killing the man for speaking to him, but he sensed there was something different about this person. He noted the robes and remembered that nobody in the Church of Blood wore purple. "Who are you?" Bullseye asked as Thor dispatched five acolytes with a sweep of his hand.

"I am Desaad, a humble servant of Darkseid," he said with a small bow. "My master is disturbed by the recent events on Earth."

Bullseye snorted. Darkseid was the ruler of Apokolips, half a planet; the other half, the so-called "good half" was called New Genesis. "Doesn't like it when he's showed up, huh?"

Desaad reached into the folds of his robe and produced a dagger. It was designed for throwing. "A present. Designed by Thor's bother Loki, this dagger will absorb the life force of a god."

"I suppose he wants me to use it on Holocaust?"

"No. Use it on Thor."

"Why should I?"

"Why not?"

Bullseye thought about it for a moment and decided he had nothing to lose. There was no reason to think Darkseid would trick him; as far as Bullseye knew he was beneath the ruler of Apokolips' notion of being worthy to be acknowledged. Darkseid wanted Thor dead. Holocaust would want Thor dead.

"Hell, the whole freakin' world wants Thor dead!" he said as he grabbed the weapon. In one motion, he turned and let the dagger loose. His aim was true and his throw well timed. Thor's keen senses, honed after thousands of years of combat, picked up the flying dagger immediately. He brought the hammer up to block, but he was a millisecond too late. Strength, courage and speed were Thor's skills; being on target was Bullseye's.

The dagger went deep into Thor's chest, piercing his battle armor like it was nothing but mere paper. As he stumbled and then went down on one knee, a helmeted head came flying through the hole that Holocaust had made. Thor cried aloud as it rolled to him, revealing the face of Barda, a woman he had called friend and lover. 

An arm, ragged pieces of meat stuck to it followed, and then a naked torso. The dagger in Thor's chest began to glow and Bullseye slowly approached the fallen god. Several of the acolytes were either beating on Thor or picking up the pieces of Barda. Some went so far as to drink the blood coming from the pieces of the heroine. 

Thor grimaced and tried to stand, but the magic that Loki had placed on the dagger was too strong. When he raised his arms, the pain only got worse and he tumbled forward onto his face. Again, he struggled to get up, but it was to no avail.

A gurgling sound told Bullseye all he needed to know and he casually walked away from the body and looked for Desaad. There were now at least a hundred acolytes in the chamber now and the robed minion was able to disappear into the crowd. Bullseye wasn't worried about it, though. Obviously, Darkseid wanted to let Bullseye know he was watching and that meant the assassin was going to have to choose sides very soon.

He would have to play it very cool for now.

**Earth-T…**

Spider-Man sat ten feet below the rooftop, his back against the wall as his powers held him in place against gravity. He took a deep breath of the California air and sighed. He missed the smell of New York, his New York. He never had liked the West Coast. "Can't see why anyone would willingly live in an earthquake zone," he mused.

Hawkman sat above him, hacking spit at people as they passed below. When Spider-Man asked why he did it, the Winged Wonder just shrugged. "Just because I have wings don't mean I'm an angel."

The wall-crawler had been ready to go insane being cooped up inside the Warden's mansion and when Hawkman offered to supervise him on an outing, he accepted immediately. Once they had gotten far enough away, Spider-Man had called for a rest. "Why do we have to be watched?"

Again Hawkman had no real answer, most likely because he had never cared to find out. Spider-Man knew of a Hawkman that had once existed on his world, but that hero had become involved in what had been explained as a "space-time incident". Whatever it had been, Hawkman had disappeared.

"So, do you have a patrol route?" Spider-Man asked.

Hawkman looked down at him. "Do you ever shut up? Can't you enjoy the view?"

Spider-Man shook his head and pulled off a glove to examine his webshooter. "I have to keep busy, you know? I have a world in ruins; I have no idea if my family is even alive…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Don't think that I'm a total jerk." He stood up and leaned his head forward. His sharp eyes detected something in the distance. "Do you like Mexican food?"

"What?"

"Tacos. Burritos. You know, south of the border cuisine. Don't you have a Mexico on your world?"

Spider-Man put his glove back on. "Yes, I know what Mexican food is; I was wondering why you were asking."

"A couple of teenagers are robbing a Taco Barfo a couple of blocks away. You want to stop them or would you rather sit up here an whine?"

Spider-Man was already swinging over to the next building.

One hour later, they were back in the same spot, Spider-Man slightly annoyed as hot sauce and cheese floated down from above. Hawkman stuffed another burrito in his mouth, chomping loudly, and the webslinger could not figure out how someone stayed in such great shape eating so much garbage.

"Isn't it great when you stop crime and the victim is grateful?" Hawkman asked as he stuck his hand deep into the grease-stained bag.

"Grateful? You demanded that the manager give you free food!" Spider-Man was still embarrassed over the whole incident. They had managed to grab the two thieves as they exited the restaurant, Spider-Man's sudden arrival stopping them in their tracks as Hawkman came up from behind. The police arrived in minutes and Spider-Man, for what was the first time in his life, had to stand around and help fill out the paperwork. Hawkman, in the other hand, growled at the male officers whenever they tried to talk to him.

"You know, it didn't help when you called asked that lady cop if she wanted to see your pecker," Spider-Man said in disgust.

Hawkman pointed to the beak on his helmet. "I was just being polite."

"Are all of the super-heroes on this world like you?"

Hawkman belched and grabbed a taco. "What's wrong with me? So I'm not Superman or your precious Captain America," he began as he rummaged through the bag for some sauce. "At least I'm not some sour puss like Johnny Storm."

"Hey! " Spider-Man said as he jumped up to the rooftop. Hawkman said nothing but was impressed with the other hero's agility. "Johnny Storm is my best friend and he's been through hell the past couple of days."

Hawkman responded by wadding up the taco's paper and throwing it down on the rooftop. Spider-Man continued, a finger stabbing Hawkman in the chest. "You don't have the first clue what it's like to watch all of the people you love and care about be slaughtered!"

Hawkman stopped chewing and looked down at the finger. He considered breaking it and didn't give a rat's ass about the "proportionate strength of a spider". Instead, he slowly reached for the cinnamon desert that would finish his meal. "It changes a man, gives him a new perspective. Maybe he isn't friendly, but that doesn't mean he isn't brave."

"What happened to his eye?"

Spider-Man backed up and his body language suggested that he finally understood that Hawkman simply didn't care. The Winged Wonder was a hero of a different sort; he did the right thing with brutal efficiency and demeanor. He didn't feel manners and subtlety were virtues and was, in fact, coldly honest. "Holocaust made him burn it out with his own powers in exchange for the life of Power Girl."

"So, where is she?"

"Plastic Man couldn't summon the same courage, so Holocaust killed her."

Hawkman finished his meal and rubbed his hands together. "That does suck, Webs; personally, I think we should all go and turn this Holocaust into paste. It's tough when a leader loses his team."

Spider-Man shook his head. "It was more than that. Power Girl and Johnny were an item; she was pregnant with his child."

**The Crossover Earth…**

"Leave your god!" Holocaust ordered and the acolytes obeyed quickly. One particularly zealous worshipped cut his own throat in response. Bullseye jumped back as the man's blood began to spurt. Holocaust laughed darkly and then coughed. The blow from Thor's hammer had hurt the creature, Bullseye noted. 

_He is vulnerable to magic!_ Bullseye filed that knowledge away, fully expecting that it would provide him with a way to gain Darkseid's favor if he hadn't already. Thor had always been a thorn in Darkseid's rear. The Asgardians and New Gods practically slept in the same bed.

They were in a special section of the new Church of Blood; it had formerly been a division of S.T.A.R. labs that had employed a super-hero named Bill Foster, a.k.a. Black Goliath. It was here that Holocaust indulged his love of pain and desecration. In several man-sized tubes were various super-heroes and villains, each being slowly killed by different methods.

The Hobgoblin and Black Lightning were each being slowly dissolved in acid, Holocaust wondering whether a white or black man would die first. In another, the Parasite was being exposed to persons with diseases such as AIDS, leprosy and cancer. The mutant Psylocke, her mind dominated by Holocaust, was hooked to various tubes and lines that penetrated her naked body at several points. Once, she had been a beautiful woman; now only the hint of the one breast that had not been burned away and the look of absolute terror in her blind eyes let Bullseye know she was even human.

In another section, Dr. Octopus and the Scarecrow were monitoring several Church of Blood physicians as they checked on several babies. Holocaust was very interested in human children because he had never been one. When he had found out that Power Girl had been pregnant, he had ordered the fetus removed.

"What is the progress of my children?" Holocaust asked.

Dr. Octopus turned around and pushed his glasses up. "I am Otto Octavius! I am no nursemaid."

Bullseye realized that Octopus was about to die. He had been spared because of his knowledge of radiation and Holocaust always wanted to learn new ways of killing. Bullseye barely picked up the move, the quick strike with the bloodstained claws, talons really. A small red line opened across Dr. Octopus's throat. The villain continued to talk for several seconds before he realized what was happening.

So outraged at his imminent death was Octopus that he was unable to maintain enough mental control over his four mechanical arms as he fell back. More blood now pooled on the floor and several of the physicians were coming over to see what the problem was. In his final death throes, Octopus struck out and clipped a doctor across the jaw, tearing the mandible from the skull. 

The floor was no longer slick, but sticky with the large quantities of blood that were everywhere. Bullseye began to doubt that this was the way he wanted to spend the rest of his life. He noted that the Scarecrow was being the typical toady; he was practically in love with Holocaust.

Both the Scarecrow and the doctors then attended Holocaust and they started to move away to a section where several mutants were being cut up millimeter by millimeter in an effort to see how it affected their brain activity. Bullseye stepped over the dead Dr. Octopus, a man who might have been his employer in a different world, and peered into the infant tank.

There were several infants lying in a relatively clean area. The blankets and diapers had the symbol of the Church of Blood on them, but it otherwise looked like any other nursery in any metropolitan hospital. One, in particular, caught his attention. It was inside a special incubator, a child that barely looked human. It had many more weeks of development to undertake before it would be ready for the outside world.

The assassin stepped away from the tank and looked about him. This was worse than hell, it was a disgusting sausage factory and he hated pork products. The joke did little to ease his mind. There was no profit in this venture and he already knew what direction he was going to go. He was going to commit the ultimate hit under the ultimate contract. Holocaust was going to die and Darkseid was going to gain advantage.

Then, maybe, he could finally retire. 


	5. Chapter 5

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 5

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Earth-T… 

"As a matter of fact," Deadman started, "there is someone who can cross between the two universes. He's called Access."

Nightwing nodded and began moving at super-speed around the laboratory. He was working on developing some temporal displacement devices that would allow the members of the Wardens to travel through Hypertime unaided. As it currently stood, either Deadman arranged transportation or the members with the ability traveled the byways of time. "Can we get his help?"

"Well…" Deadman started. He rubbed the back of his neck and Nightwing slowed down. "It seems a certain being in the 'Marvel' universe…"

"Why can't we be the 'Marvels'?" Huntress asked.

Bruce Banner chuckled. "I hear jealousy." Super-Woman gave him an elbow and the two began to chuckle. Over the past few days, the two scientists had become very chummy. The Huntress suspected that it had more to do with both of them feeling like outcasts than anything romantic. Dr. Banner seemed to be hooked on someone named Betty. 

"That's just the way it is," Deadman groused. "Anyway, some big-headed guy named Uatu has taken Access and held him on the moon."

Bruce coughed. "He's a Watcher, an ancient race dedicated to non-interference. Uatu looks at that philosophy as being subjective." He looked into a microscope. "I've never seen Kryptonian cells like this before."

Super-Woman turned to him. "You said that you had examined the Superman of your world once?"

He nodded. "He was exposed to a heavy dose of Kryptonite radiation after a battle with the Radioactive Man. At the time, I was in full control of my Hulk-persona and was an active member of the Justice League."

"Amazing," she said, tapping a finger on her bottom lip. "So you find my cells different from your Superman's?"

He nodded. "Your cellular structure is as different from his as mine is from a normal human. It's incredible especially when you take into consideration this world."

"So, we can't get a hold of the Access fellow?" Nightwing asked, wanting to get the conversation back on track.

Deadman was adamant. "You could say Access denied. This Uatu can see into other realities, peering through Hypertime in much the same way the Time-Guardian could." The Huntress mumbled something under her breath. Both Super-Woman and Nightwing heard it but said nothing. "He's managed to capture Access. The Spectre has been working on negotiating a deal, but it's not going anywhere. If we want to get everything back on track, we need to do something about Holocaust."

"That's the real issue, isn't it?" Captain America said as he stepped into the lab. Behind him was Dawnstar. "How do we defeat him? I don't think brute force is going to be able to do it."

"That's not what the Human Torch and Hawkman think," Bruce offered. He had been involved in several conversations with both men. 

"If Holocaust could take out Superman, then what chance do we have?"

"The argument is that with the power of Super-Woman and the Hulk…"

"No," Bruce said silently. "The Hulk is uncontrollable. The only reason he followed you onto Dr. Doom's time platform is because of Shamrock's unique abilities." He walked over to a stool and sat down, pulling out a handkerchief. He was starting to sweat, the first sign that he was beginning to lose control of the raging beast deep inside of him. 

"We may have no choice," Captain America said.

Dawnstar stepped between the two men, her large wings folded against her back. "We must all remain calm; indecision and infighting will only serve the cause of evil. You were attempting to go back in time, correct? You wanted to stop Dr. Doom from summoning Holocaust?'

"Yes, but we got lost or misdirected," Bruce said. "I was in my Hulk form; Spider-Man operated the controls."

"Is he an expert on time-travel?" Nightwing asked. He had not spoken to Spider-Man; the mysterious hero preferring to be on his own especially after going out with Hawkman a few nights before.

"Spider-Man is very intelligent young man," Bruce said, vouching for the wall-crawler. "He's had to put his education on hold in order to pursue his career as a super-hero. It's cost him nearly everything, but he still does it."

"With great power comes great responsibility," Captain America said. "It's his philosophy."

Everyone was quiet while they let the words sink in. "Maybe we can work on some way for me to control the beast," Bruce finally said.

"Looks like we have some goals," Nightwing said, clapping his hands together.

**The DC Universe (Huntress and the Human Torch)…**

"We need to wait until night," the Huntress said as she lowered her binoculars. Johnny Storm blew out, indicating his frustration. She sympathized. "Arkham Asylum, no matter what reality you're in, is really busy during the day." She handed the binoculars over.

Johnny put them up to his one good eye and scanned the area. There were several police cars and doctors. "People going in and out; it's like an assembly line of horror."

She agreed. The Arkham Asylum of Earth-2 had not been early as bad as the one on Earth-1 and she had been made to understand that this particular home of the insane was the worst by far. 

Being alone with the Human Torch did not make her feel very safe. There was something just not right about him and she wondered if his torture at the hands of Holocaust had somehow damaged him. Captain America had vouched for him, as had Wonder Woman. She had wanted the Amazing Amazon to join them, but Nightwing had cautioned against it. "Her raw power may be the deciding factor in a heated battle," he had explained. The Huntress pointed out that the Human Torch was pretty powerful himself if everything that Dr. Banner said was true.

Nightwing had explained that the Torch had volunteered for the mission and Captain America had agreed to it. It was thought that going back so soon to Earth-CA might not be best for the Torch's mood.

"Aren't you from around here?" he asked.

"My Gotham City was far different from this and the Gotham City on Earth-T is, well, different. Our whole world is odd because it's so young. Yes, it has a history and in reality, it has existed since the dawn of time, but it's still young." He nodded and sat back down on the tree stump, casting a glance over to their rental car. She continued to pass the time. "On Earth-T, all of the super-heroes were killed when the Time-Guardian assumed complete control."

The Torch stretched and rubbed at his eye. Nightwing had produced some salve with Super-Woman's help that was taking care of some of the scarring. "I read about it on the Internet with Spider-Man."

"You and Spider-Man are close?'

"Yeah. He and I go way back. Karen and I introduced him to Katana not too long ago. He and his wife split up about a year ago and he's been kind of down in the dumps." His voice changed when he spoke about his friends, especially Karen Starr, alias Power Girl. From all accounts, it had been a whirlwind romance with Johnny on the rebound from some unnamed sweetheart and she just simply lonely. "What about you?"

She was taken back by his sudden charm, his willingness to open up and talk. It was disarming and she didn't exactly know what to make of it. "I had a boyfriend, a lawyer, but he died during the Crisis. I'm seeing Nightwing right now."

"Ah, the mystery of the Kryptonian male." He made no further comment and they remained quiet for several minutes. Johnny got up again and looked at the Arkham Asylum. "Do you think anyone will notice we're here?"

She shook her head and pointed to the dirt road. "No tire tracks. I'm assuming that this is some sort of service road. I guess if anyone drives back here we can pretend to be lovers out for an afternoon tryst."

"Good plan," he replied. He then noticed something and asked her to bring him the binoculars. He put them up and looked at the roof of the asylum. "Figures," he said dryly.

She took them from him and peered in the same direction. A figure was huddled in the shadows and she caught the glimpse of green cape. "Jason?"

Johnny didn't know. "I never went to Gotham City if I could help it. Just seemed like a two-bit Big Apple. I'd guess that the guy up there is Robin."

"That means the Batman is monitoring something here," she said, not happy about this at all. Their mission was to infiltrate the asylum and locate the Joker. Using a device that Nightwing had provided, they would be able to detect if there was a psychic link between the Clown Prince and Holocaust. If so, Super-Woman and Dr. Banner had hypothesized that by interrupting that signal it could have disastrous effects on the creature on Earth-CA.

"I suspect that the creature needs a anchor in the physical world and for some reason, it's the Joker," Banner had said.

"He won't be a problem," Johnny said off-hand. When he saw her face, he shrugged. "Come on! Batman versus the Human Torch? No contest."

**Earth-CA (formerly the original Crossover Earth)(Shamrock, Aqualad, Aquagirl and Kid Flash)…**

"You know, you could stop looking at him," Kid Flash said.

Aquagirl's face flashed with anger. "You could quit trying to be my dad!"

He turned away. "I'm trying to be your boyfriend."

Aqualad tried to keep turned away, but he couldn't help it. From the first moment since he had seen Aquagirl, his heart had been beating quick in his chest. His Aquagirl was dead and unlike the main timeline version of himself, he had not traveled to another dimension to learn magic. Yet.

They had been avoiding each other, he knew, because each had so many questions. He had asked Hawkman, who had no problem spilling all of the personal details of his fellow Warden. In those conversations, he realized that she was a kindred spirit. 

Twice he had caught himself reaching out for her hand since they started walking. Luckily, it was raining. Unfortunately, it was raining. With the water pouring from the skies, both of them would receive enough to keep them healthy and alive. Without it, they would have to find water somewhere, a lake or river, and there they could be alone.

He knew Kid Flash was keeping an eye on him and with a Roy Harper behind the mask, he was being sure to be careful. He could tell that Kid Flash was looking for an excuse to hit him. Shamrock was doing her best to remain between them. 

Her accent was American. She was the second person to bear the name of Ireland's only hero. "We're getting close," she said. "Before we left, Captain America broadcast several locations for heroes to meet in order to regroup. They were told to wait for a month and if no one showed up, to try and make it on their own."

They were approaching a building located in what was a normal looking small town outside Metropolis. It was deserted, but that was to be expected. This was where the X-Men had fallen. They had already passed the skeletons of Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Black Condor. "Let's be careful," Shamrock warned.

"What happened here?" Aquagirl asked. Kid Flash bit his tongue to keep from running ahead.

"After Holocaust took down the Avengers, Justice League and Fantastic Four in New York, it moved here to intercept the X-Men, who were returning from a mission in Florida." Aqualad sniffed the air. "Smells like death."

Shamrock held up a closed fist, a signal to stop. With hand signals, she directed Aqualad and Aquagirl into the nearby trees while calling Kid Flash up to her. She whispered into his ear and he nodded. In the blink of an eye, he was gone and back. "They're all dead," he said, his eyes watering. "It's the Titans, and they're all dead."

"How? How does someone take out all of the Titans?" Aquagirl asked, not believing what she was hearing. 

"We're not alone," Aqualad said, his sensitive ears picking up footfalls. Aquagirl heard them also.

Kid Flash raced ahead to check it out and didn't come back. The three other heroes let loose a battle cry and ran into the woods that surrounded the town. Fifty yards in, they found Kid Flash being supported by his throat in the outstretched arm of a pale, hellish looking man. 

He was a cross between a wraith and demon, black and white in color with a voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. "Come! Come meet Despayre!"


	6. Chapter 6

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 6

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

The DC Universe… 

As far as sidekicks went, Timothy Drake, a.k.a. Robin the Teen Wonder, was probably the best of his generation. He was the inheritor of a proud and tragic legacy that had started with Dick Grayson, gone through the sad tale that was Jason Todd's life and ended with him. Tim doubted that there would be another Robin after him as he intended to hold onto the identity for as long as he could.

The Batman had put him here, on top of the Arkham Asylum, to monitor the comings and goings. For several days now, the Joker, Batman's prime nemesis, had been in and out of a strange, dreamless sleep. Batman was convinced some outside source was attacking the Joker's mind, or what was left of it. Why it was being done was more important than the how, but the Batman never left any loose ends. He had invited the Martian Manhunter to come and try and peer into the Joker's mind, something that the alien hero was reluctant to do.

That meeting was supposed to happen tonight, the very last night of the current guard force's rotation, a night when the guards would be more interested in five-card poker than in doing their rounds. The security at Arkham was both a blessing a curse. On one hand, it was inadequate and could not possibly be a physical barrier between the insanity captured here society. Then on the other hand the security was inadequate and it allowed the Batman unrestricted access whenever he needed it.

The doctors at Arkham had called Commissioner Gordon and the Batman when the Joker first started acting differently, but the idea of allowing an alien probe his mind was beyond them. It was better to do it in secret.

He checked his watch and then reached for another snack cake in his cape pocket. Eating the cream filled dessert, he almost failed to notice the shadow crossing his own in the failing light. He turned and saw a woman in a costume that was familiar and different at the same time.

It was a knock-off of the Huntress's outfit, black and purple leather, but there was so much different about it. His eyes first drifted to the bare legs and then slowly moved up to the ample cleavage. From her chest, he knew it wasn't Helena. Not his Helena anyway. "Lady, you have really picked the wrong day to go trick-or-treat," he said.

She put her hands on her hips. "Hey! My face is up here, Jason!" She hoped that by saying his name, she could start to develop a rapport between them.

He stood up and she understood her mistake. This was someone older than Jason Todd, more muscular and cocky. His body moved like a weapon. He was more like Batman than she was and Batman had been her father. "You definitely got the wrong guy," he said.

He reached down and picked up a quarterstaff. That was not a weapon she was familiar with. "Look," she started to explain, putting her hands up. He stopped to let her speak. "I was going to try to get by you, but I didn't think I would be able to. You're not going to believe this, but I need to get in and see the Joker."

He giggled. "I don't think the Batman is going to allow that." Again his eyes started to go down from her face. It was a natural reaction and one of the concepts behind the costume design. She inhaled and Johnny stepped behind Robin.

The Teen Wonder easily dodged the blow.  He brought an elbow back and nailed the leader of the Fantastic Four in his bad eye. Johnny cursed loudly and Robin brought the quarterstaff down and around, tripping his assailant.

The Huntress moved forward, but Robin was expecting her and a foot to the gut met her. She went down quickly, surprised by the strength behind the move. This was not the same guy who used to hang out with her father. 

Johnny was about to ignite when another quick punch to face knocked him cold. Robin turned to the Huntress. "I don't want to hit you again."

She sucked in air and looked over to the moaning Johnny. They had made the first mistake of being a super-hero: do not underestimate your opponent no matter what. Both of them had experience with their own versions of Robin, but it seemed that the real deal was a lot tougher than he looked. "I don't want to be hit again, thank you."

"It's a nice trick with the boobies, lady, but once you've hung out with as many girls as I have, all of them in tight leather, you learn not to be distracted to easily. I just needed your partner," he looked down at Johnny, "to get a little closer." He tapped Johnny's leg with his quarterstaff. "Who's this? Four-Man?"

"He's called the Human Torch and I'm the Huntress," she said, rubbing her stomach. She was way out of shape.

"Uh huh," Robin said, not convinced. "And I'm really Superman."

"I'm not your Huntress, I'm a…foreign version."

He still could see through the lie. "Yeah, south Gotham, right? The accent is a dead give away, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" She was not enjoying this conversation one bit and they were wasting valuable time. She started to slowly get up, mindful of the extra reach Robin had with the quarterstaff. Things were certainly rougher on this world but she was happy to see that the youngster was prepared for it.

Johnny started to get up as well, but it was obvious he was dizzy. Robin reached down and offered a hand. "If you promise not to try to hit me again, I won't knock you on your butt again."

"You're good…like a young Iron Fist," Johnny commented. Robin looked confused but said nothing. He assumed it was some sort of action hero. 

Robin noted the accent on the Human Torch as well, New England mixed with Brooklyn. The guy was from New York but he wasn't raised there. In the dim light he got a better view of his attacker and saw the damage to his eye. It was healing but it still looked painful. "Can we not start a brawl up here on the roof?" Robin asked.

"Can you get us in to see the Joker?" the Huntress asked. "We need to know if anything strange is happening with him."

Robin chuckled. "You don't know the Joker very well do you?"

She gave him a sarcastic smile. "You would be very surprised who I know."

It was like looking into the past as she slowly approached the Batman. He was in the shadows, but she knew exactly where to look. Her father had taught her well and he had learned through trial and error. The Batman turned to her, gave her a once over and then turned back to the giant green man who was trying to talk to the Joker through the glass. 

When the small group stopped, Batman stepped out of the darkness and into the dim light. The Huntress noted that there were jumper wires attached to the security cameras. "Who are they?" he asked Robin.

The teenager pointed to the Huntress. "A new Huntress who calls me Jason and Four-Man."

"I'm the Human Torch," Johnny corrected. The Martian Manhunter stopped talking and turned immediately towards them. Johnny's good eye widened as he realized that the alien had already probed his mind and he reacted by reflex. "Flame On!"

Searing flames filled the corridor. Robin pushed the Huntress down and covered her with his cape while Batman tried to get to the Manhunter. As a Martian, the green alien's only known weakness was fire and he was already screaming as his flesh burned.

The Torch turned his attention to the glass keeping him away from the Joker and it slagged under his hot touch. The Huntress pushed Robin off of her and gasped. "What the hell are you doing?" she cried out.

Johnny turned to her, his face twisted in a snarl. "That bastard is the only thing keeping Holocaust alive. If I kill him then I kill the beast!" He started to step into the room where the Joker was babbling and thrashing in his restraints. He was knee deep in the throes of a psychic connection with the Manhunter who was in great pain.

A strong arm in a flame-resistant costume came around and wrapped around the Torch's throat. Batman pulled the younger man out of the room and back into the hallway while Robin activated the fire alarm. Johnny elbowed Batman, but it was to no avail so he increased the heat instead.

Batman was forced to let go and so he pushed the Torch down the hallway and reached back for his batarang. The Torch knew the move all too well having seen his own Batman do the same thing and he was prepared to melt the weapon as it sailed towards him. 

The sprinkler system came on, but the Human Torch was simply too hot for the water and a cloud of steam started to surround him. Batman threw down several smoke pellets at the same time the Huntress did and the passage was soon filled with gray clouds.

By the time the Torch felt his way to the Joker's window again, he could tell by the silence inside the room that the madman was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 7

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Earth-CA (Captain America, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Dr. Banner, Batgirl, Super-Woman, Hawkman and the Flying Fox)… 

"What a crap-hole," Hawkman said as he looked around at the burning landscape. Fires and small explosions dotted the entire area and the air smelled of brimstone and burning flesh. "You want to save this place?" he asked.

Wonder Woman scowled. "This isn't our Earth," she announced to the group and Captain America confirmed it.

"We're on Apokolips."

Hawkman belched and lifted into the air, Super-Woman and Wonder Woman next to him. Several meters in the air they stopped and hovered, the two Wardens surveying the area with their enhanced vision. Wonder Woman remained on guard and explained what she knew about this world. "It is the home of Darkseid, perhaps the most evil man to ever be born…"

"Next to Holocaust," Super-Woman added.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…so why did Nightwing send us here?" Hawkman asked. There was nothing living around them for miles, though Super-Woman said she could see some workers stoking giant furnaces. It appeared that they were stranded in the middle of a giant engine, but what it powered was not immediately apparent.

"I can't believe that Nightwing would make that sort of mistake," Bruce said. He was sweating, the heat was very uncomfortable and he was starting to get agitated. He glanced down at the metallic band around his arm and could almost feel the soothing Kryptonian drugs being pumped into his system. For now, it was agreed that Bruce Banner's brain was needed more than the Hulk's muscle.

"There was no mistake," a deep voice said. Wonder Woman shot down from the sky and took a defensive stance in front of Captain America. Out of the shadows stepped a massive bulk of a man. He was nearly as tall and broad as the Hulk, but there was no gleam of rage in his eyes. There was only the coolness of hate. "It was I, Darkseid, who diverted your transport to the Earth."

"Villain!" Wonder Woman cried out. She took a step forward, her fists in front of her, her jaw set for action. "I should have known that someone as foul as you would be in league with something as hellish as Holocaust!"

Captain America leaned back and adjusted his grip on his mighty shield, ready to sling it as soon as the Amazing Amazon moved. The Flying Fox watched all of this from his position next to Batgirl, whom he had been enjoying the company of for the past few days. It intrigued him the way Captain America was able to assess any member of the team and guess their actions. He tried to assume the same sort of stance, but felt ridiculous. He had no idea what was going on or whom Darkseid was.

"Darkseid does not ally himself with things, Amazon," the ruler of Apokolips said. Then he grinned, a most horrible sight to behold. "Still angry over the end of our affair?"

"You betrayed my people! You promised peace and used us to further your plans of conquest," Wonder Woman sneered. Super-Woman came down next to her, guessing that her Amazon friend would soon need her help. 

"Your feelings of inadequacy because you could not keep me in your bed do not concern me, Diana," Darkseid said as he moved into the light. They noted that he had several guards with him as well, all of them clad in bulky green armor. There was also a small man in purple robes, toadying before his master.

"We cannot trust them, master," Desaad warned and then he pointed a crooked finger at Super-Woman. "They bring strange allies. They wish to remove you from your glorious throne!"

Super-Woman crossed her arms over her chest. "You just said you brought us here, so that must mean you need us."

Darkseid narrowed his eyes. "You are Kryptonian, are you not?"

"Maybe," Super-Woman said, not relaxing her stance. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Be careful, Shyla," Wonder Woman said, her eyes never leaving Darkseid. "He preaches about order but he sows the seeds of chaos."

"You slept with that pig?" Hawkman asked from above. "Lordy, then you must be starving for some of the Colonel's special recipe, baby."

Darkseid turned his gaze up at Hawkman. "It has been a long time since I had pheasant."

Hawkman grabbed his crotch. "I got your pheasant, pal! How about you tell us why we shouldn't kick your ass all over this lovely garden of joy you call home?"

"Agreed, Darkseid," Captain America said, stepping up. "Let's forego the ritual battle and here what you have to say."

"Finally, a voice of reason," Darkseid said. Desaad tried to say something, but the master of Apokolips cut him off with a chop of the hand. Darkseid began speaking slowly. "I know of this creature that has decimated the Earth. He is a creature of dreams, a construct of essences from beyond this universe."

"We already know this," Captain America said. He lowered his shield and moved in front of Wonder Woman. "Do you know how to defeat him?"

"He has a psychic link somewhere…"

"We're already working on that, dumbass," Hawkman called. "Do you have anything useful to say or do you make it a habit to bore everyone by overstating the obvious?"

Darkseid ignored the Winged Wonder and instead concentrated on Captain America. He couldn't help but let his eyes drift to Super-Woman though. "Once his psychic link is cut, he will no longer be able to expand his abilities. Through his link he gains more intellect, more imagination and willpower. Originally, he was a creature driven by an insane rage, but now he is convinced he is a god."

"It seems to me that you have the same problem," Wonder Woman hissed. Darkseid smiled again and she looked away. 

Another man stepped out of the darkness, a tall thin one wearing a golden helmet with very long horns. When he spoke, there was a hint of a Scandinavian accent. "Then there are those of us who are gods regardless of other's thoughts."

Darkseid turned to his companion. "Ah, Loki, how good of you to join with us." He turned back to the group of heroes. "Allow me to present the Norse god of trickery."

"Another bastard who would claim godhood," Wonder Woman said. "We should leave this place now!"

"What is going on here, Darkseid?" Captain America finally asked, tired of the game of words. "Do you want to help?"

"Of course we wish to help, you mortal slug," Loki snapped. "Diana, how can you associate with such rabble? What is this, a crimson haired Aphrodite?" Loki stepped forward and reached for Super-Woman's hand. "A rare gem among the mortal kind."

Super-Woman took his hand and squeezed. Hawkman chuckled when he heard the god's bones crack under the pressure. Loki screamed and fell back, his eyes wide in disbelief. "It is not possible!"

"I'm not that kind of Kryptonian," Super-Woman said, reaching down and picking Loki up by the front of his tunic. Hawkman dropped down and took a position next to his teammate. "Now, can we discuss…?"

Darkseid started laughing. "Please, put down my ally. I promise he won't try anything so stupid again." When Super-Woman complied, Darkseid shook his head. "You are quite a specimen. I wonder where Kal-El was hiding you." Loki scurried behind Desaad, nursing his broken hand and muttering a curse under his breath. 

"Diana, it is you I must speak with," Darkseid said. Wonder Woman shook her head, stating she wasn't about to fall for that old trick. "Fine. I will arrange a boom tube to transport you to your dead world where you will meet an inglorious end. Eventually Holocaust will kill everything there and will move on to another world. Perhaps fair Apokolips. Perhaps some other world such as Thanagar."

Despite his desire to let out a smart comment, Hawkman held his tongue. Wonder Woman still wasn't convinced and so Darkseid shrugged. Turning away, he led his entourage back into the doorway they had originally come out of. Desaad returned a moment later, explaining that he would arrange their transportation off of Apokolips.

"Diana?" Spider-Man asked. The wall-crawler had been silent but now moved to his friend. They had shared in many adventures together and he was privy to the broken heart that Wonder Woman had because of Darkseid. Years before, the ruler of Apokolips had approached the Amazons of Earth in hopes of having them broker a peace agreement between their two planets. Wonder Woman had been seduced by Darkseid, who had the ability to be extremely charming when he wanted to.

It had, of course, all been a ruse and in the end, the Justice League and the Avengers had been able to defeat the forces of Apokolips. Wonder Woman, however, had not been able to completely get over being betrayed. 

He came up and put a hand on her shoulder. "You know he has the information we need," he whispered into her ear. Unknown to him, Super-Woman was picking up the entire conversation with her super-hearing. "We can go back home and hopefully beat the snot out of Holocaust, but think of the lives we could save if we could get some useful information."

She turned away. "You do not know what you ask. He cannot be trusted."

"Can we take the chance?" Spider-Man asked. He was then joined by Captain America. He assured Diana that it was the only way.

"We cannot go in blind. He does know something that we don't, but I don't understand why it is you he wants to discuss it with." Wonder Woman suggested that he probably would demand some sort of "favor" for the information. "Is that such a high price to pay?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, that Captain America was suggesting she prostitute herself for information. She saw the look of distress on Super-Woman's face also. The Star-Spangled Avenger seemed to gauge the mood. "I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want to do; but if we're going to war, I want the best weapons I can get."

She relented, but Super-Woman decided that Captain America had compromised his leadership by his words. Whatever happened after this, the Wardens would be following her commands only.

Wonder Woman walked over to Desaad. "I want to speak with Darkseid."

The little man rubbed his hands together and stared hungrily at her bosom. "Of course, of course. Follow Desaad, Princess Diana. Come! Come!" he cackled, taking her by the hand. She resisted pulling away and went with him.

Super-Woman tried to use her X-ray vision, but the entire world seemed permeated with lead contamination. She sighed. "I suppose we wait then." She shouldered past Captain America, refusing to acknowledge his little shout of surprise and called Hawkman over to her.

"Katar, something is going on with Cap," she said in a low voice. She watched as Captain America and Spider-Man moved over to check on Bruce. "Do you know what happened before they came here?"

The Thanagarian put his hands on his hips. "I don't know if it means anything, but I heard that Johnny Storm was involved in some heavy duty crap and that it was the Avengers who found him. He's the last surviving member of his team."

"Who found him exactly?" she asked.

"I suppose it was big red, white and blue over there," he replied. "In fact, he's the only Avenger that survived." He saw the wrinkled brow on her face. "You know, normally at this time, I'd ask you what you're smoking. These Earthlings practically worship anyone in those colors. You don't suspect him of anything, do you?"

"I don't know," she replied and then she tapped her bottom lip with her finger. "There's something strange about him and the Human Torch. They don't act like they're human sometimes. Did you hear the way Cap suggested that Wonder Woman screw anyone with information?"

"Yeah, it's just awful thinking about that," Hawkman replied.

"Pig! You know what I'm talking about. You say a lot of rude things, but we both know you only have eyes for Dawnstar. But he sounded like he really meant it. That doesn't sound like American ideals to me."

Hawkman yawned. "What do you expect from a race that divides the planet up the way they do?"

"Just do me a favor and keep an eye on Cap for me?"

He agreed and she moved back to where the Flying Fox and Batgirl were engaged in conversation. She noticed that Captain America was keeping his eye on her and suddenly she did not feel very safe.

Darkseid sat upon his ebony throne with Loki off in the corner still in shock that a mere mortal could inflict such pain on him. He watched as his former lover entered the throne room. She was still proud and haughty, just the way he remembered her. He wondered how she would feel if she knew that he still loved her.

The demands of being the ruler of Apokolips came before personal considerations though and so he would have to continue the ruse he currently perpetuated. "Ah, my little dove does return."

"Enough talk," Wonder Woman said. She pushed Desaad away roughly and he slammed into the far wall. His groans of pain told Darkseid that his toady was still alive. "You have information?"

"The creature is vulnerable to magic," Darkseid announced. "Before I had an agent kill Thor," he noted that her hands started trembling at the announcement, "it was observed that the creature could be hurt by items that were magical in nature."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because, my dear sweet Diana, you are a magical being. You are the only one of your kind, a living, breathing creation of pure magic. You have no human qualities. You are no godling or immortal, but a thing." He shifted in his throne and leaned forward. "That still isn't enough."

"I didn't think it was," she replied.

"There were others of course: Dr. Strange, Dr. Fate, Wonder Girl…the list goes on and on. However, they won't have all of the information that I have including a way to get close enough to Holocaust to strike the killing blow." Darkseid sat back. "Please, tell me you aren't interested."

"And the price?"

"Oh, the price is very high, Diana," he said. His voice then seemed to take on a sad tone. "I just wonder if you are willing to pay it."


	8. Chapter 8

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 8

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Earth-CA … 

"And if I agree to all of this, what do I get out of it?"

Desaad rubbed his greasy hands together and sat down opposite of Bullseye. The two of them were inside an empty fast food eatery in the heart of what had been New York City. Holocaust's legions, which were growing rapidly, had devastated the Big Apple and had left nothing but the core.

Reports coming in from secret Blood cells around the world were that the belief was Holocaust represented the Second Coming and even those who never worshipped God were picking sides. Bullseye wanted to stop it before there was nothing left of his world. He knew that Darkseid had the weapons needed but the criminal wanted to make sure he wasn't jumping from the frying pan and into the fire. "And before you try to butter me up, I know that some new heroes have shown up on-planet. Looks like Captain America's gamble paid off."

Desaad looked around nervously; he didn't like being exposed like this but Darkseid had warned that the full extent of Holocaust's powers was not known. "I am not here to discuss the heroes," Desaad hissed.

Bullseye pulled out his pack of cigarettes and noted with some disgust that there was blood on the package. He was so tired of seeing blood. He offered one to Desaad, but Darkseid's emissary refused. "Fine, then tell me what it is that Darkseid wants."

"My master has demonstrated his power and you have shown your value to him," Desaad started, waving away the smoke being blown in his face. It was foul smoke, not like the plumes of his Apokolips, which was as sweet as roses to him. "He realizes that Holocaust is a formidable foe, one that may require the intervention of great Darkseid himself…"

"So, your boss is scared?"

Desaad grimaced at the suggestion that Darkseid would ever know fear. "My master feels it is better to deal with a dangerous enemy sooner rather than later." He coughed, but Bullseye simply held the burning cigarette a little closer. "It is our opinion that a magical being could defeat Holocaust in combat if he were sufficiently weakened."

"The only thing that hurts Holocaust is magic, ugly," Bullseye said as he started lining up several pennies on the dirty table. His sharp eyes scanned the gray area outside the restaurant, searching for the Blood disciples that he knew were following him. Holocaust was insane, a creature of pure hate and decadence, but he was not stupid. "So, unless you have another one of those magic knives, which I'm willing to bet was supplied by Loki…"

"This world is important to not only my master, but the godlings of other realms as well. Already there has been a great reduction in the population and many more will die before it is over…"

Bullseye interrupted even as he pulled out a fifty-cent piece. Kennedy had always been one of his favorite presidents. "You know, there are a couple of things that are kind of bothering me about all of this; maybe you can answer some questions for me."

**The DC Universe…**

The Human Torch roared in anger as he realized that his prey had gotten away. The cry was inhuman in pitch and tone and he send a blast of fire at the empty bed, melting it into slag.

Several hallways away, Batman and the Huntress trying to carry the wounded Martian Manhunter while Robin led the Joker along. "He's gonna kill all of us, Bats!" the Joker cackled. Robin punched him in the side. "Shut the hell up!"

Batman wanted to say something but he was more concerned about their situation. If the sprinkler system were unable to contain the fire, then the automatic fire security system would open all of the doors to allow the prisoners to escape. Then the madness would really start.

Once before, the villainous Bane had released the inmates of Arkham Asylum and it had nearly cost him his life in trying to round them back up. At the very least, it forced him into semi-retirement after Bane had broken his back.

Then there was this mysterious psuedo-Huntress and the way she kept looking at him. "Your friend is starting to piss me off," Batman warned her. The threat was there and she understood it from the times she had been a bad little girl, so many years before. He did not trust her completely.

Batman turned his attention to the large Martian. "J'onn?"

The alien was trying to speak but his face was badly burned. It would be some time before his polymorphic abilities allowed him to correct the damage well enough for him to speak coherently. "Where are we going, dad…daddy-oh," the Huntress corrected.

Batman's eyes narrowed as they turned a corner and came before a large door. Batman kicked out and the door flew open. "Inside!" he ordered.

They dragged in the Martian Manhunter in and laid him on the cold floor while Robin threw the Joker inside. "Watch him," Batman told his young partner. Robin didn't need to be told twice and the Teen Wonder shoved the Joker into a corner.

The Huntress looked around the dusty room and reasoned it was some sort of equipment locker. Batman moved over to a gated storage area and kicked in the door. "You sure kick a lot of stuff," she said.

He didn't answer but instead moved to back of the area and started examining a safe. The Huntress took a moment to reach down and brush the inter-dimensional communicator Nightwing had given her. She considered calling in the cavalry but hesitated. If the man in the bat costume had been her father, would she have been so ready to get help?

"I'm not sure what is going on here," Batman said as he started working the safe tumbler, "but once this Fire-Man is taken care of…"

"He's called the Human Torch," the Huntress said, hoping to smooth things over by giving up as much information as she could. "We came here to investigate whether or not the Joker was linked to a case we were working on."

"What case?" Batman asked as the safe came open. He reached in and started to drag something out.

The Huntress bit her bottom lip, unsure of how much she should tell them. Of course, secrecy had been dependent on everything going according to plan. Obviously that wasn't the case anymore.

Then there was the fact she felt very much like a little girl again and it was uncomfortable. She had thought the emotions were behind her, especially since her fight with the Batman of Earth-T a few months before. "You may find this hard to believe but I'm not from this world. Neither is the Human Torch."

"Oh, yeah, parallel universe stuff…we get that stuff all of the time," Robin called out as he secured the Joker to a pipe with some handcuffs. "So, I'm willing to bet your name isn't Helena."

"Actually, it is," she said, wondering how similar she was to the Huntress that was a part of this reality. 

Batman came out from the back of the storage locker carrying a large weapon. "You don't use guns, do you?" she asked.

Batman straightened at the question. "This is different. This is Freeze's cold rifle."

**Earth-CA…**

"How is it that so many heroes were taken down so quickly?" Bullseye asked as he picked up the fifty-cent piece. "I mean the heroes always come out on top, no matter what. It's like a comic book, you know?"

Desaad said nothing but he was starting to look uncomfortable. Bullseye lit another smoke and kept the conversation going. "I saw Power Girl's baby, you know? Ugliest little freak I've ever seen. Looked like an abortion exploded. Green. Wrinkled jaw." The criminal leaned in close. "Looked like a freakin' Skrull."

Desaad seemed to shrink back into the folds of his purple robes as Bullseye mentioned the name of the dreaded alien race. The Skrulls had a vast interstellar empire and had often times set their sights on Earth. They were shape-changers and could assume almost any form. Through their advanced science they could also gain super-powers.

"So, I'm thinking, how is it that Power Girl had a Skrull baby?" He inhaled deeply. "Maybe she was a Skrull? Maybe she was part of a whole legion of Skrulls that had somehow infiltrated the ranks of the heroes. Hell, maybe the Human Torch, the father of the child…maybe he was a Skrull?"

**The DC Universe…**

The Torch had not problem following the heroes for the Martian had bled all along the path they had taken in their escape. He had to take the alien out first because of his telepathic ability and he would have sensed the truth. The Torch could not afford to be denied not only his mission but also of his revenge.

It had all seemed so simple: get inside the hero culture and destroy it from within. It had been Darkseid, master of Apokolips, that had first approached the Skrull emperor about the plan and it had been the emperor that had sent him to be the first in the attack. He had no idea how many of his brethren were also involved, but it was a safe bet that the reason the Justice League and the Avengers had fallen so quickly was because the Skrull agents had lacked something.

The Skrulls were on Earth to conquer it and divide the spoils with Apokolips. When Holocaust had emerged, the Skrulls had been fighting for something that was not truly theirs. Every soldier in every military on every world in every time period knew that an enemy that fought for its home was a formidable enemy.

The Torch saw the door to the storage space and nodded. He pulled his fist back; his arm elongating like it was rubber, while the fist turned from blue to brown then orange. It grew in mass and took on the appearance of the rocky skin of the Thing, the now deceased founding member of the Fantastic Four.

Such were the powers of the Super-Skrull.

**Earth-CA…**

"Excuse me for a moment," Bullseye said as he got up. He sauntered past the kids' playground and into the parking lot. There were several abandoned cars and a few rotting corpses. The smell was almost as bad as when the restaurant had been in full operation. He took the coin he had been playing with and threw it. A member of the Church of Blood fell behind a dumpster and was immediately besieged by the rats that were even now taking over the city from the humans. The food chain was rapidly changing.

Bullseye wondered how long it would be before the acolyte would be missed and then he wondered if Holocaust himself had sent the spy, or was it someone else. The new order had only been around for a short time, but the assassin understood that there were several others who coveted his position. 

He scanned the area some more, sighting some refugees scurrying for cover as bands of rape gangs and thugs tried to establish territorial boundaries. "You are correct," Desaad said as he stepped closer. The man seemed even pastier out in the sunshine. "My master made an alliance with the Skrulls to assume control of this world. From here, the galaxy would be split. Apokolips would conquer the Shi'ar while the Skrulls dealt with the governments of Thanagar and Rann. It required placing agents in key positions, agents that my master did not have to spare due to excursions by Thor and the New Gods."

"Only problem was the Skrulls weren't up to the task of dealing with the situation, were they?" Bullseye spit on the ground and finished his cigarette. "Now, you need us normal humans to clean up the mess."

Desaad bowed his head slightly. "And in exchange, my master will allow you to lord over the peoples of this world in his name."

Bullseye started to laugh. "Do you really think the Skrulls will allow that? How many of them are still on planet?"

Shrugging, Desaad confessed he had no answer. "If you are fearful, do not be concerned. There are others we can turn to."

**The DC Universe…**

The door came flying in so quickly that Robin jumped with a start. Batman did not hesitate and fired the freeze gun. The weapon fired off an icy blast that stopped just inches short of the Super-Skrull, who had resumed his normal form.

Batman fired again at the towering alien, who was as big as the Martian Manhunter and just as green. He appeared as a chameleon of abilities, his body alternating between flaming limbs to stretching ones. Sections of his body would turn invisible and Batman suspected that there was some sort of invisible force field protecting the creature. 

A batarang from the Huntress bounced off a section of rocky hide and the Super-Skrull shook his head. He spoke to them in a voice that had a strange accent, his own jaw unable to form the words as they had in his human form. "I salute your courage, all of you, but you defend one not worthy of it! Give me the Joker and I will let you live!"

Batman threw down the freeze ray and took a long look at the Super-Skrull. He was missing his eye still, indicating that it must have been a severe wound when it occurred. "We don't hand over anyone to be killed."

"He is the link to the one who killed my love!"

"She must have been pretty desperate to be in love with you," Robin wisecracked.

The Super-Skrull's face twisted in rage at the remark against his beloved Karen and his body exploded in a ball of flame that consumed the entire room.


	9. Chapter 9

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 9

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Earth-CA … 

Kid Flash felt all of the guilt and pain from his life all at one time.

Images of his original world popped into his mind and the miserable childhood he had experienced. His early years without his mother because she died giving birth to him. His father's death when he was a small boy and then his being passed around from foster home to foster home until the day Barry Allen had taken him in. Barry, secretly the Flash, saw something in young Roy Harper that the others didn't.

From the very beginning, Uncle Barry, as Roy took to calling him, treated him more like a son than anyone else had since his father had been alive. Barry had even "introduced" Roy to the Flash, the boy's hero. It had been at that meeting that Roy had been exposed to the chemicals that had given Barry his powers and thus was born Kid Flash.

Together they had fought crime on Roy's world until the day Barry had simply disappeared. Roy was never able to find out what happened to his mentor and now he felt such great despair over that. It would be impossible to find out now because the Time-Guardian, in an effort to destroy Kid Flash, had wiped out that entire timeline, killing everyone including Roy's first love, Kory Anders.

The deaths of billions weighed heavily upon him as Despayre threw the young hero down and faced off against the three remaining ones. "Come feel my embrace and see of your soul if free from guilt," the demon called out.

Aquagirl and Aqualad held back, not sure of how to approach. It wasn't fear that held either one of them back but simply practicality. Kid Flash, despite his being curled in a fetal position and crying like a baby, was out of immediate danger. "Why don't we talk this over, pal?" Aqualad asked. 

Aquagirl nodded her ascent to his position. She had no doubt that fighting a demon was beyond the capabilities of two Atlanteans. Shamrock on the other hand had no such qualms and she launched herself at the creature, yelling out a curse that would make a sailor blush.

Despayre was unimpressed and his arm shot out. A cold hand grasped Shamrock by the shoulder and squeezed. His latent abilities channeled evil energy from his black soul into the mortal form of Shamrock. She shimmered and cried out, her voice suddenly changing as her form switched from human to alien.

"What the hell is that?" Aquagirl asked. "It looks like a sea hag!"

Aqualad's eyes were wide. "I never suspected! A Skrull!"

The alien warrior screamed again as thoughts from her own life, secret failings and unachieved goals suddenly became larger than life in her mind's eye. Her form kept shifting from that of Shamrock to that of a Skrull soldier. Despayre laughed aloud. "Ah, non human emotions, how sweet. A delectable treat!"

Aqualad couldn't hold back anymore. "We have to take him down, now. He feeds off our own despair. Spider-Man fought him once, I read about it in the Titan's database. He can be beaten!"

His enthusiasm was so familiar and Aquagirl was ashamed that a part of her missed that. In the few seconds it took for her to join in the run towards Despayre, a whole lifetime of adventures with her own Aqualad passed through her mind. She had truly been in love and Garth had been her soul mate. As much as she loved Roy, and she knew that she did, there was nothing that could ever replace the feelings she had felt for the boy she had thought she would spend the rest of her life with.

Had her reality not been destroyed, wiped away, then maybe that would have happened. It had, though, and as much as this Aqualad looked and acted like the one she knew, he was not him. Had there been no Roy, it was quite possible that the two of them could start a relationship.

At that moment, the two heroes landed good hard punches against Despayre, who tossed away Shamrock with a casual toss. Aqualad was slightly stronger than Aquagirl and the demon saw him as the most immediate threat. The Atlantean was quick and dodged the attempt to grab him by his curly dark hair and kicked out. Despayre took a hit in the knees and folded and Aquagirl seized the opportunity to deliver a two handed clubbing to the back of the demon's head. 

Enraged, Despayre snarled. "Sea monkeys! I am assaulted by evolutionary mistakes!" Another kick was intercepted and Aqualad went down screaming, calling out Aquagirl's name before he started sobbing. Aquagirl jumped back. "Does the little fishy fear facing her own soul?' the demon asked, holding out his hand. "Take it, girl! If you prove worthy, I will let you live."

"No, Aquagirl!" Aqualad said between tears. The events of the past few weeks were pressing down on him and he was unable to do anything else.

Aquagirl's inner voice told her to get away or to fight and not accept the challenge, but there was another part of her that wondered if she had conquered the fears that had followed her since she had returned to life. Quickly, she reached out and took the demon's hand.

Despayre closed his eyes and smiled. "Yes, there is much strength in you. You are a warrior born, not yet to your full potential. You handle your guilt well."

She felt the coldness welling up in the pit of her stomach. Images flashed in her mind then disappeared, like fireflies in the woods. Once or twice, something tried to get to her, but she had spent months building psychic defenses. Her own telepathic abilities didn't hurt either and she started to squeeze Despayre's hand.

The heroes appeared out of the Boom Tube from Apokolips and stepped into hell.

Captain America surveyed the scene while Spider-Man and Hawkman moved to higher ground to get the lay of the land. "You're world ain't much better than Apokolips," Hawkman told the wall-crawler as they reached the top of an abandoned apartment building. "In fact, it looks like…"

"I don't want to hear it," Spider-Man said as he climbed onto the roof. Behind his mask, he was fighting to hold back the tears. They were standing on what had been his home and seeing it now, he realized that all of his friends, his life in fact, were now nothing but memories. His life was essentially over and all that was left was to assign blame.

Hawkman shrugged and pulled a candy bar out of his belt and starting chomping on it as he looked out on the burning city. He never had liked New York to begin with, but now he was utterly convinced that he could never live in such a place. The entire horizon was nothing but smoke clouds and burnt out buildings.

"I wonder if time passes differently here?" he asked out loud.

Spider-Man used the question to break his mood. "It's possible, but I don't think there is too much of a difference. We left here about three weeks ago. It's like pictures of Germany from World War 2."

"Or my dorm room when I was in the academy," Hawkman joked, not really caring if it bothered Spider-Man. "Do you see anything because Wonder Woman is waving at us to come down."

Spider-Man regarded the scene of utter destruction and nodded his head. There was nothing out of the ordinary. 

It all looked like hell.

Captain America was on edge. "I never imagined the devastation would be this complete. This entire world had been reduced to nothing more than rock and ash."

Super-Woman found the comment queer but didn't say anything. She had noted that Batgirl did not seem too trusting of her team leader of late, almost as if she was detecting the same oddness about him. The Star-Spangled Avenger seemed to associate solely with the Human Torch, Shamrock and Dr. Banner. 

She also picked up that he seemed to be somewhat…unpatriotic in his speeches. He never seemed to speak of the greatness of the United States or how much he loved his country, but she had to admit she knew very little about the man to begin with. Supposedly he was a soldier from World War Two, a conflict Super-Woman really had not researched. It was part of the history of her new homeworld (even though it never really happened) and that was all that really concerned her.

She used her telescopic vision to scan the immediate tri-state area. "There are several pockets of people scattered for several hundred square miles. All civilian law enforcement and military forces appear to have been decimated. I can also see several costumed corpses rotting throughout the city. Some of them I recognize, others I don't."

"What about Gotham City?" Batgirl asked. Super-Woman saw that she and the Flying Fox were holding hands. She decided now was not the time to give her standard lecture on distractions. It had been distractions that had eventually led her to a life of crime, as she was more concerned about the present than what the consequences of her actions would be.

Super-Woman turned in the direction that the city would normally lay. Her heart nearly stopped. She then increased the range of her vision and began to look at other major cities. Metropolis. Central City. Keystone City. Chicago. Coast City. Los Angeles. Miami. Houston. She even went so far as to look at a Hulkbuster base that Dr. banner had mentioned. "Someone has used weapons of mass destruction on nearly every single important metropolitan area. Washington D.C. is in a state of siege. The local forces are being overrun by men and women clad in blood red robes that simply hurl themselves into harassing fire."

She fought the urge to fly off. Wonder Woman cracked her knuckles and Super-Woman wished she still had some of her telepathic equipment. What had Darkseid said to her? "Do you see Holocaust anywhere?" Dr. Banner asked as he popped another pill. Nightwing had designed an agent that would hopefully keep the scientist from changing into the Hulk. Banner was afraid that the rage and horror he was currently feeling would override any chance he had of controlling the beast within him. He was hoping that his mind would be of more use than his brawn.

"There are several structure throughout the city lined with lead," she said.

"Yes," Batgirl explained. "I know my Batman maintained many secret hideouts that were made up so to prevent Superman from looking in. Major villains did the same thing."

"Too much racket for my super-hearing as well," Super-Woman said with resignation.

"Can you tell how the Florida team is doing? They were supposed to link up with any survivors," Captain America asked.

The Maiden of Might turned towards the south and scanned with her telescopic vision. Even at super-speed it took her a few moments to settle in on the scene. A large pale white creature had apparently taken down the other team and it looked like Aquagirl was preparing to surrender. She didn't even explain but instead took to the air and poured on the kinetic energy as she flew to her friend's rescue. "Somebody's in trouble," Hawkman murmured. "She only does that when she's pissed or horny and around me, women are usually both."

"How does Dawnstar put up with you, pig?" Wonder Woman said with a rough voice.

"'Cause I'm hung like a…"

"Stop it!" Spider-Man yelled, putting his hands to the side of his head. "Damn you! Don't you see what's around us? Death!" He grabbed his mask and tore it off, revealing the youthful features of Peter Parker. "You're making jokes and we're standing on the grave of civilization! It's fine and dandy for you Wardens because you have a home to return to, but the rest of us have to stay here."

Captain America stepped forward and Spider-Man stepped back. His face showing fear. "My spider-sense is going off, like some sort of fog has been lifted off of me…"

Wonder Woman sensed it as well, her limited telepathic abilities zeroing in on Captain America. None of them could know that the forces of Holocaust, while attacking the last remaining United States military troops, had destroyed a small, abandoned building in order to get a wall to fall on an M-1 Abrams tank. Inside that building had been the telepathic dampener installed by Darkseid's forces two years before, meant to mask the presence of Skrulls from telepaths and magicians.

"Bastard!" Spider-Man scream, throwing a right cross at Captain America.

The Avenger had his shield up. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Skrull coward!" Wonder Woman yelled, launching herself at Captain America. 

"A Skrull?" Dr. Banner said, the realization slamming him so hard it seemed physical. If the Skrulls were here, then maybe they were the ones who had brought Holocaust as part of their invasion plans. All of the carnage around Banner took its toll and his rage went straight at the drugs in his system and utterly destroyed them.

Batgirl saw the color of Banner's skin start to change from flesh to green and she pulled the Flying Fox to the side. "We have to get out of here!"

The Flying Fox watched as Captain America took a kidney punch from Wonder Woman and fell and he wanted to go help the man. Then he started to change in skin color as well and he had the feeling that being a puny mortal, he was simply outclassed. By the time Batgirl had pulled him into an abandoned building, Dr. Banner's change was complete and the rampaging Hulk stood in the spot where they had landed.

"Crap!" Hawkman called out as the Hulk took a swipe at him with a palm that seemed the size of Nebraska. The monster was quick and angry and Hawkman just managed to avoid him. The Winged Wonder tripped and fell over some pipe and rolled down an embankment. 

The Hulk, satisfied that the large chicken was now out of his way, turned to the fight between the Skrull Captain America, Wonder Woman and Spider-Man. "Hulk smash green man! Hulk smash flying girl! Hulk smash bug man!"

The green goliath brought both hands up to make a giant single fist and then came down hard onto the ground. There was a sound like creation being torn open and building shook with the force of the blow. The three combatants were scatted and the Hulk roared so loud that it seemed that even the Almighty would have to raise His voice to be heard.

"Hulk smash all puny humans!"


	10. Chapter 10

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 10

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Earth-CA … 

"Dum Dum" Dugan squinted as the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier crossed in front of the path of the sun and ordered one of the technicians to lower the tinted covering for the main viewing window. Outside the flying fortress, hundreds of fighters from various militaries, countries and organization flew in combat air patrol formations. On the flight deck below, several S.T.A.R. Labs experimental one-man Rocket Troopers, men clad in American versions of the Rocket Red suit, were being refueled.

Ahead of them they could see the smoking ruins of New York City. The scene reminded Dugan of a time in the not so distant past when terrorists had caused the clouds of death to loom over the great metropolis. He was sick in the pit of his stomach as he realized that if he were successful in this mission, then New York City would most likely never exist again.

"Our cargo is starting to get restless," Agent Sharon Carter said. Dugan turned to regard the attractive, blonde-haired operative. "And so am I."

"Still pissed, eh, lass?" Dugan asked as he pulled out a cigar. Sharon had been something more than a friend and something less than a girlfriend to Captain America. From operations that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been conducting in England against the Church of Blood they had learned that several of Earth's super-heroes had been replaced by Skrulls, including the Star-Spangled Avenger himself. 

"They killed the man I…loved," she admitted through gritted teeth. "If the real heroes had been here, then maybe we could have defeated Holocaust before he allied himself with the Church of Blood and its fanatics."

Dugan nodded and looked down on the monitor panel that displayed the "cargo" Sharon had been referring to. It was being hauled over the ocean by a score of military helicopters and repulsor vehicles. "This had better work," he said silently.

"We've got more trouble," the Guardian said. The hero, a member of Project Cadmus, had been working with S.H.I.E.L.D. for the last six months, investigating terrorist camps in Europe. "Our advance scouts say the Hulk has resurfaced and he's fighting some members of the Justice League and Avengers."

Sharon cursed. "That's the last thing we need! I thought Banner was dead."

"He's tearing apart downtown, going toe-to-toe with Wonder Woman, Hawkman and Spider-Man."

Dugan got a concerned look on his face and went over to a computer terminal. He typed in a few commands and read from the list scrolling on the screen. "Impossible, lad; Hawkman was killed in Midway City at the beginning when the Church of Blood overran the local National Guard base. He, Hawkgirl, and D-Man were all crucified."

The Guardian whispered something to one of the technician and moments later the main monitor, a giant flat screen on the side bulkhead. The image was obviously from a flying drone from the way it bobbed and weaved. It showed the Hulk backhanding Wonder Woman and sending her flying into the remains of an office building. Hawkman could be seen plainly pursuing her. "It's him."

"Then maybe it was a Skrull that was killed in Midway City?" Sharon asked out loud, waiting for anyone to answer.

Dugan decided that with the Hulk involved, his complicated plan was becoming a simple mess. He considered contacting the remnants of the Hulkbusters out in New Mexico, the one area of the United States that was free of any Church of Blood zealots. They were too far away, though. "Drop the cargo," he ordered.

Sharon did not have to be told twice and as she moved to issue the order to the troops, her eye caught the hint of a bloody Skrull in a Captain America costume. She prayed the Hulk squashed the bastard.

"Colonel Dugan!" the Guardian called out. "We've got a missile or something heading towards Florida!"

Dugan looked up at the threat board and it showed that some sort of low-flying, high-speed projectile had been launched from New York and was heading at Mach 4 towards Miami. "Opinions?"

Sharon hesitated from issuing the drop order. "There are no military silos in New York City…it could be A.I.M. or maybe one of Doc Doom's old weapons."

"It could also be Superman," the Guardian added. "I've seen him show up on screens like that before."

"Superman is dead!" Dugan bellowed. "He's not coming back this time! None of them are, people! I don't know who the bloody hell that Hawkman is and I don't know who or what is flying towards Florida, but it isn't the dead!" He pounded a fist on the nearest workstation. "Now drop the bloody damn cargo!"

A strong hand grabbed Aquagirl's shoulder and gently pulled her back. She turned, tears in her eyes and saw the smiling face of Super-Woman. "Shyla?" she asked silently. 

Super-Woman's medical and psychological background told her that more than anything, Aquagirl needed to talk, but she was practical enough to realize that now was not the time. She stepped away from her and moved to within an arm's reach of Despayre. The demon chuckled. "Your soul is tainted, bitch."

"Uh, huh," Super-Woman said as she crossed her arms over her chest. She had never actually encountered a supernatural being and she had to admit, she wasn't impressed. 

"You are guilty of many things, many bad and terrible things," the demon said, walking in a circle around her. "I never realized that Holocaust would bring me so many treats. There are benefits to working with an ally."

"Uh, huh."

Despayre stopped and cocked his head. "You mock me."

"No, I'm just tired of demons and god-like creatures and killing and alternate realities." She started to tap her boot. "I'd like to just stop a bank robbery and maybe find a nice, cute guy to snuggle up to on a cold night. I'd like to explore having children, getting a secret identity…you know, normal super-hero things."

"Yes, your despair over this is intoxicating!"

Super-Woman rolled her eyes. "Please!" She then gave him a quick once over. "Say, that's your corporeal form, right?"

He stood a little more erect and smiled grimly. "It is the form with which I interact with you humans."

"Which means it suffers from the same weaknesses as any other mortal form?"

Despayre laughed. "Fool! I have defeated two score of your kind, your super-heroes! This form, while flesh, is far from mortal."

Super-Woman nodded. "I was just wondering how you handle vacuum. Did you take vacuum into account when you created that body?"

Despayre's puzzled look was priceless as Super-Woman, moving at super-speed, landed a punch on his jaw at full strength. His form went rocketing into the stratosphere and out into the cold blackness of space in less than three seconds. Five seconds later his form, never designed to handle the absence of pressure, became a billion bits of frozen demonic flesh.

She turned to see Aquagirl helping Kid Flash up. There were tears in his eyes but anger on his face. The demon had forced him to face up to feelings he had wanted to keep buried. Super-Woman noticed, though, that Aquagirl's eyes held her boyfriend like tractor beams. Whatever had been keeping her from expressing her love for him over the past few days, and she suspected she knew what it was, was no longer an issue.

Aqualad, bloody and bruised, was kneeled over the dead body of the Skrull Shamrock. He was shaking his head and Super-Woman picked up what she thought was an Atlantean prayer for the dead. After a few moments, he stood up and joined them. "It explains so much. The Skrulls infiltrated out ranks and we weren't ready."

He looked at Kid Flash. "I'm sorry that I let my personal feelings for Tula cloud my judgment. I should have picked up on it."

Kid Flash nodded and accepted a squeeze from Aquagirl. He winced; she was, after all, a lot stronger than him. "Forget about it; she's not easy to get over."

Super-Woman turned and used her telescopic vision to look back at New York. She uttered a few choice Kryptonian curse words. "I've got to go; I'll be back for you."

Kid Flash gave Aquagirl a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going too, babe. You two look for any survivors." She nodded and pulled him in for a long kiss on the lips. "I don't know, maybe I should stay," he said with a wink.

"Later, lover boy; we have a lot to make up for and a lot to talk about," she said, giving him one last peck.

They broke their embrace and he turned to Super-Woman. "Race ya, hot pants!"

She was happy to see that he was finally getting back to normal and the two of them headed off towards what she hoped would be the final battle.

Loki glanced over at the brooding Darkseid, who watched the battle between the Hulk and Wonder Woman. For the first time, he thought he saw a look of sadness wash over the face of the master of Apokolips. Loki knew that Darkseid, if he were capable of true love, had felt it for the Amazing Amazon.

Loki found her physically pleasing enough, but her compassion for the mortal fleas that inhabited the Earth was beyond him and, he had always assumed, was beyond the thoughts of Darkseid. Instead, he was beginning to note, Darkseid was truly troubled that he had essentially sentenced Wonder Woman to death.

The plan was simple enough: only a magical being could hope to defeat Holocaust in physical combat. The problem was that simply beating the hell out of the creature was not going to be enough. 

Loki decided to try and get Darkseid's mind on something else. "How goes your negotiations with the mortal Bullseye?"

Darkseid did not remove his gaze from the action. "He will play his role, godling, worry not about that. He will provide the distraction needed for the plan to see fruition." Wonder Woman could be seen being pulled out of a concrete structure by Hawkman. Darkseid seemed to breathe a little easier.

"The female means very much to thee?" Loki asked.

Darkseid nodded. "To you I will admit as much; she has my heart, as cold and black as it may be. With her I hoped to rule the Earth and one day engage your kind in glorious battle for supremacy."

Loki, for one, was happy that had not come about. He was the trickster god, a being who engaged in battles of wits and subtlety to achieve his aims. Wars were for the oafish like his now-dead half-brother Thor. "And yet thou wouldst send her to a death that thou knowest she cannot refuse to accept. Verily, I would call you a monster if I did not know that thee would consider it a title of honor."

Darkseid's head slowly turned and for a moment Loki was afraid that he was about to be destroyed by Darkseid's famed Omega Beams. The despot's eyes flashed briefly but then the look of sadness washed over them again. "Under normal circumstances I would say you were correct. Today, though, son of Odin, you test my patience. Leave Darkseid now!"

Loki did not have to be told twice and calling upon his magical abilities, Loki disappeared into a mist, leaving Darkseid alone with his own thoughts. He reached out a massive, granite-like hand to the screen showing the battle on Earth and touched the image of Princess Diana. "My love, I would burn the galaxy down for you and offer its ashes as a wedding gift. Can Darkseid be so cold that he would surrender the only light in his life to conquest? Was it not the plan of Darkseid that left your world defenseless against this threat?"

A single tear fell from his eye and splashed onto the hard metal floor. "I know what the mortals would do for love, for their poems and songs are filled with their thoughts and deeds on the subject. What does Darkseid do for love, though? What, my love?"

In that moment he realized what it was he had to do and he called for his guards. The battle was about to be joined.

The creature fell into the ocean, which immediately snapped its brain back to full life. Instinctively it began swimming towards the shore if only to orient itself. For a long time it had slept, but not as long as it had many times before. 

With a sweep of its tail, it glided through the ocean with an agility that its massive size would indicate it could not possess. It tasted the water and knew that it was far away from home; in a place it had not visited for the first time until only a few years before. It missed its home waters, warm and full of the tasty whales and other larger creatures it liked to eat. 

The creature also felt strange, as of something was not right on the inside. An intelligent being, it still could not know that since the time it had been captured years before, several experiments had been performed upon it to turn it into a weapon to be used against Superman should he had ever turned against the world. 

The creature did not know who Superman was, but then why would it? Very few of the hairless monkeys that inhabited the surfaces attracted the creature's attention. They were annoying at the most and not very good to eat at the least.

Through the water it picked up sounds like battle and it was attracted to them immediately. The creature was always looking for conflict, always willing to fight anyone or anything for control of territory. 

With a growl that sent fish scattering for a hundred miles, the creature headed directly for Manhattan.


	11. Chapter 11

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 10

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Prime Universe … 

"I really do not know what he is," the Huntress said for the fifteenth time. The Batman still did not believe her; she could tell by his mannerisms. As a child, whenever she would tell a lie, her father would be able to detect it immediately. She was truly surprised by how alike this Batman was to her own.

But there were differences as well. This Batman never smiled and she got the sense that his pain ran much deeper than her father's. Perhaps it was her mother's love that had finally tamed the beast within him; she wondered if there were anyone special in this man's life. "I don't believe you," he said and she was not surprised.

She had, however, enough of his attitude towards her. The Martian Manhunter seemed to be already healing and Robin had used a stun gun to put the Joker down. The Clown Prince was still having his nightmares, only they were now more intense and occurring constantly even as he was awake. "He's not from where I am from…"

"Which is someplace you can't tell me," the Batman said as he folded his arms over his chest. There was something familiar about this woman, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. She was beautiful; he could tell that despite the mask, yet he wasn't attracted to her romantically. She reminded him of his mother in the way she had a defiant look in her eyes. Even when she had faced her killer, Batman's mother had kept that rebellious stare. 

He inhaled deeply and then turned a glance again towards the frozen form of the Super-Skrull. His blast had hit the freeze gun first and overloaded it. The alien had taken the full brunt of the resulting explosion that had ended his life. He was nothing more than a grotesque statue as he was in several forms when he was frozen. "He's not going to be much help either."

The Batman stepped towards the Super-Skrull and there was a crackling sound as his boot crunched the remains of his cape. It had saved him and the Huntress from certain death. Strangely, it also seemed to have helped the Martian Manhunter, but then Mars was much colder than Earth.

"I wish I could tell you, but you have to trust me when I say I didn't know. I thought he was human…we were here to see if the Joker was under the influence of an outside source…" She muttered a curse as she thought the Batman was ignoring her. "Have you always been so arrogant?"

Batman paused and turned his head slightly. He was suddenly reminded of a night many years before when the Catwoman had offered her bed to him. He had, of course, refused, despite his overwhelming desire to take her up on her proposition. She had said the same thing. "Yes," was all he said as he pulled out a small camera to begin taking pictures. Before he could snap the first one, the Super-Skrull shattered into a million pieces that rained down onto the floor. 

Slowly Batman turned to see the Huntress holding a batarang that was dripping water. He said nothing, as he understood that she was protecting her secrets. She started to open her mouth when the Martian Manhunter started to speak in a weak voice. Both heroes moved over to the alien. "She is being truthful, Batman; she cannot tell you anymore than she has."

The green Martian turned his head to look at her and in that moment she understood that he had read her mind. It made sense; he had no idea if she was friend or foe. Somehow, looking into his deep green orbs, she knew her secret was safe. "That does not explain everything," Batman replied. He indicated the sleeping Joker with his chin. "What is going on with him?"

"He is dying," the Manhunter said as he tried to sit up. "His very soul is being torn from this reality and pulled into a place where it does not belong."

"I have to get back home," she told them. "I have friends who might be in danger because of this." She looked over to the Joker. "And believe it or not, I don't want him to die, at least not this way."

She was definitely not the Huntress of his world, the Batman thought. He looked back down at his alien friend and Justice League teammate. "Let her go," he was told. The Batman's better judgment said to keep a hold of her and try to get the answers to the questions forming in his head. She was simply too familiar to him and he couldn't guess why. 

But the Martian Manhunter was one of the few beings in the universe that the Batman counted as a true friend. He had never wanted anything else but to be a companion and comrade to the Dark Knight and he was as much a victim of tragedy as Bruce Wayne. "Alright," he finally said, standing up. The Huntress squeezed the Manhunter's hand and then stood up as well.

"Go," the Batman finally said. "But don't ever come back unless you're ready to tell me everything I want to know. Gotham is my city and my city alone."

The Huntress nodded and briefly remembered the death of her father. He had been elected the police commissioner of Gotham City and had long since retired the Batman identity. A power-mad super-villain was threatening the entire city. "You would give your life for this place, wouldn't you?"

Batman thought it an odd question, not something he had ever really considered. He gave it a few seconds of thought and then nodded. "Yes."

"Good. At least I'm sure it's in good hands then." The Batman started to reply but she turned around to regard Robin. "And you, young man…I would suggest that you stop identifying women by their breasts. It's sexist."

"Oink, oink, ma'am," Robin replied with a salute and a smile. 

She said nothing but shook her head and turned to leave. The Batman was standing there and she had a million things she wanted to say to the man. Instead, she merely kept her eyes straight ahead and walked on by and into the passageway. Batman slowly moved to the doorway and looked. 

He was not surprised to see that she was gone.

**Earth-CA…**

Batgirl looked out the broken window and saw the Hulk raging. It was like a seen from her worst nightmares. The Flying Fox stepped up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned and paused. "Bruce, may I ask you a question?"

He told her she could and pulled off his mask. There was very little the two of them could do against something like the Hulk and both had agreed that staying out of the way was the best advice. The Flying Fox hoped Super-Woman would get back and take care of this soon.

She reached up and unhooked the clasps that held her mask in place and allowed it to fall away. He was surprised to see that she was Asian. During her time on the Fox's Earth she had remained in costume, as if the mask she wore protected her from the horror she had witnessed. "In my world, you were much older but also much darker," she said. She tossed a sideways glance outside to see Spider-Man covering the Hulk with webbing. She began to blush and the Fox realized that she was embarrassed. 

"What is it?" he asked.

"I never got to tell you…" she started to say. Then without warning she flung herself onto him.

The creature started to rise out of the water, its massive form blocking out the sun in some areas. Had there been more of a population left in New York, and then panic would overcome the people as the horror of Godzilla was revealed to them.

A monster created through the use of atomic weapons, Godzilla had been a threat to Japan for decades. In recent years, the monster had migrated towards North America and that had bought it to the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. The agency had eventually been able to capture the monster and it had been transported back to the Pacific for experimentation.

Early in his presidency, Lex Luthor had contracted with a company in Tokyo to alter the nuclear powers of the monster. Over the course of several months, Godzilla had been injected with a synthetic form of Kryptonite, the only element that was deadly to Superman. Luthor's reasoning to his top aides was that there needed to be a weapon capable of taking down the Man of Steel should he ever go renegade.

The truth was Luthor hated Superman and was waiting for an excuse to use Godzilla against his foe. 

The monster did not care, though, instead being attracted to the roar in the distance that could only come from another creature worthy of battling. Godzilla stepped onto the shore of Manhattan and let loose with a mighty war cry.

The Hulk stopped as it heard the challenge of Godzilla. Wonder Woman took the opportunity to help Hawkman up. "I think my freakin' arm is broken," the Winged Wonder said through gritted teeth. Before the Amazon could reply the Hulk leapt into the air and over the skyscrapers. 

"We have to go after him," Spider-Man said as he stripped off his gloves in order to replace his web cartridges. "Damn it! Where is Super-Woman?"

"Right here," the Mistress of Might said as she landed next to them. She quickly explained what had happened in Florida while Spider-Man webbed Hawkman's arm into place. "I had Kid Flash take the long way to check out a bunch of airships off of the coast."

"Where's Batgirl and the Flying Fox?" Wonder Woman asked.

Super-Woman scanned the area with her X-Ray vision and gasped. "Uh…they are…"

"Who the hell cares? We need to go after Holocaust," Spider-Man said. Super-Woman averted her eyes from what she saw in one of the abandoned buildings and regarded her motley crew. Hawkman was damaged and Spider-Man was on the edge; Wonder Woman was looking off into the distance and the Hulk had gone berserk. 

She was beginning to question the wisdom of becoming a hero in the first place when Kid Flash appeared next to her. "Great big freaking lizard is coming!" he said with excitement. His eyes were wide and Super-Woman used her enhanced vision to look to the other side of the island.

Godzilla had just finished demolishing the remains of the pier when the Hulk landed a block away and began to issue a challenge. At first, Godzilla ignored the green behemoth, but then the Hulk picked up a sedan and tossed it, striking the monster in the nose.

Godzilla's roar shook the buildings on the entire island of Manhattan and the heroes started looking at each other. The eyes eventually moved towards Super-Woman. "I guess I'll go get the Hulk and take care of the monster," she said, putting her hands on her hips. 

Wonder Woman nodded. "I need to go after Holocaust. Spider-Man and Hawkman can go with you."

Kid Flash waved his hand. "Hello? I'm here, too!"

"You need to find Batgirl and Flying Fox and get them out of here," Wonder Woman said. She pointed to the dead body of the Skrull that had posed as Captain America. "Do not trust anyone else. Batgirl is too young for what is about to happen." She then stepped out to address them all.

"My friends, our world has been destroyed. Even if we defeat Holocaust, it may never fully recover. Darkseid had shown me the way to defeat our enemy and I am to meet a spy in the villain's midst." She then smiled for the first time since they had arrived on the devastated world. "I may never see you again, but know that the sacrifice is worth it. So long as the cause of peace, communion and prosperity is furthered…"

Spider-Man interrupted her with a snort. "Give it a rest, Wondy. Our world is crap. I agree with you, though, Batgirl needs to be taken away from here. Take the kid back to your world."

Super-Woman whispered into Kid Flash's ear and then jumped into the sky. Many thoughts ran through her impressive mind as she flew towards the battle raging between the Hulk and Godzilla. Her powerful eyes scanned the entirety of the world she was now on and her heart sank.

Had she continued being a super-villain, would she have rendered her world so? There were clouds of black smoke hanging over most of the major cities and the stench in some countries was overwhelming. Her super-senses were betraying her as she took in the whole of the destruction.

But it was impossible for the entire world to be so devastated in such a short period of time she decided, her mind working overtime as she moved to a higher altitude. Again she brought her vision powers to bear as she scanned continent after continent. In the more civilized areas, it was true, the destruction had been greatest and more than one small nation was in the hands of the Church of Blood. Their acolytes, clad in their crimson and black robes, sat on thrones of flesh and dictated insane edicts to dying populations.

In the Middle East, Muslim and Jewish fighters had banded together and beaten the Church back, securing in the cradle of civilization the beginnings of a new society. In Europe, though, it was like the Black Death all over again as Blood Church members and every free radical known went on killing sprees.

It was almost as if Holocaust's presence had opened up everything bad inside the mind of everyone in this world. Add to that the infiltration of the Skrulls and it was a recipe for genocide.

She shook her head and looked straight down. Godzilla was a large creature and had it not been for her excellent eyesight, she would have never seen the Hulk raging at the monster's feet. Suddenly, Godzilla fell back as the Hulk picked the creature up by one foot and tripped it. The monster's bulk was too much for the shoreline and it created a large sinkhole that the ocean started to pour into.

The Hulk, caught by the sudden suction, was pulled in as well, roaring and raging all the way down. Super-Woman took a last breath and filled her lungs before flying straight down at the hole. 


	12. Chapter 12

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 12

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Earth-CA … 

Holocaust stopped and sniffed the air and then closed his eyes to concentrate on the moment. He was fully aware that his enemies were about, new ones at that, some of them not even from this place. He knew about their plan to cut off his connection to his psychic anchor in that "other" universe. He realized that the last vestiges of resistance on this pathetic world had sent a monster to try and eat him.

None of it mattered because he had drawn as much from the soul of the Joker that he dared. For Holocaust, the idea of depriving any reality of the Clown Prince of Crime seemed so…evil that he dared not to consider it. He was strong enough now that he did not require the connection and he would cut it off soon enough. 

He had moved his base of operations to the top of the famous Baxter Building where he had briefly considered using the devices there to unleash the demons and horrors of the Negative Zone on this planet, but changed his mind. Even now, several Church of Blood Acolytes were examining the computers and safeguards designed by Reed Richards to see how to safely block the entranceway. 

Holocaust did not want to be watching his back as he moved off world.

Bullseye came out of the hallway and into the main receiving room that was once used by the world's most famous super team to entertain guests. Holocaust sensed a change in his underling, but could not quite get a read on him. Bullseye was a trained marksman and that required mental discipline that was nearly superhuman. Not that Holocaust could read minds; instead he read the currents of time and he knew that Bullseye and he were coming to an important point. 

"You seem preoccupied my servant," Holocaust said as he took a seat in a large chair. Bullseye knew it had belonged to Benjamin Grimm, the Thing.

Bullseye said nothing for a few moments and then pulled out his trademark pack of cigarettes. "I just got a report that Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and Hawkman are battling the Hulk downtown. I thought they were dead."

"They soon will be inconsequential," Holocaust said, dismissively. "You and I will be on our way to Thanagar soon enough, leaving this world in the hands of the Church of Blood." Bullseye shook his head, his stomach turning as he thought about the remaining people on his homeworld being left in the hands of a cult of sadists.

He wondered what was wrong with him, why was he changing so much? Was it survival instinct kicking in? Were his eyes feeding his brain so much information about the demise of his world that his personality was starting to shift? Was he becoming a super-hero? He shook his head and then took another good look at his "master".

His skin was still chalk white, the eyes were pink and the teeth were little black daggers, but Holocaust had once again changed clothes. He now sported a leather uniform cut in the style of the Church of Blood, leather in black and red. He seemed more muscular and Bullseye became keenly aware that Holocaust was changing.

In the short time they had been together, both of them had transformed. Holocaust was healthier now, perhaps completely invulnerable except to the strongest of magic. Bullseye had developed a conscience and a part of him was sad. He knew now what his path was to be and it was most likely a path to death. It was through blood he found redemption and he considered the religious aspects of it all. 

"Bullseye the messiah," he whispered.

"What?" Holocaust asked. An acolyte, an older man, was sitting at his feet now, cutting into his own flesh with a pocketknife. The quality of Church members was diminishing with every hour.

"Nothing, master," Bullseye replied with a small bow of the head. "I came to report that Despayre has been defeated."

The nightmare that was Holocaust shrugged. "He served his purpose. He spread his unique influence over that part of the country and like a cancer it ate away at everything it touched."

"Pardon my ignorance, master," Bullseye began in his most complacent tone. "We both know that the complete overwhelming of the planet will take much longer than your original estimates indicated. People are leaving the cities and reports show that the destruction is not as widespread…"

"Silence!" Holocaust demanded, smashing a palm on the armrest. He reached down and grasped the old man at his feet by the throat. His dark nails duck deep into the man's flesh as he started a tirade. "You dare to doubt me? I am the dark storm of entropy, living death in the flesh! I have killed gods and surpassed those called Almighty! I feast in blood and gorge myself with suffering! Let the rats scurry to their holes for I will unleash the hounds of hell to sniff them out!" He crushed the man's larynx and tossed the body away. Bullseye was sickened to see the smile on the man's face. Death was not supposed to be pleasant.

"Why do you doubt me suddenly?" Holocaust demanded as he stepped towards Bullseye. The assassin did not flinch even as several of the more militant members of the Church approached him with bloodstained swords. "My spies tell me that you have been meeting with people in the city…those spies that have returned."

"I didn't realize I wasn't allowed to talk to people," Bullseye replied quickly. He then turned to the nearest acolyte and smiled. "Better back up or you'll be sitting on that thing," he quipped.

The acolyte only smiled and Bullseye couldn't believe it. It was like anyone who got around Holocaust went insane. 

Or sane in his case.

And suddenly there was a million light bulbs turned on inside his brain and he realized what it was that had been bothering him. Exposure to Holocaust caused a complete reversal of mental state. Bullseye had definitely been a nut job before; it was why he had sought out Holocaust when the slaughter had started. 

Was that why Darkseid had sought out Bullseye out he wondered. "I'm not doubting anyone," Bullseye said, his voice slow and deliberate. Holocaust paused for a moment to allow his servant to continue. "In case you haven't noticed, there was a large lizard dropped in the ocean outside Manhattan and a bunch of super-heroes are popping up. I think it would be a good idea to eliminate them first," he said, hoping to buy some time, "and, at the same time, come up with a way to track where everyone else is going."

Holocaust laughed. "You are worried about these heroes, aren't you? Is the great Bullseye showing fear?"

"Yeah, I'm scared…"

The Boom Tube opened up and deposited the massive form of Darkseid onto the rubble-strewn streets of what had been New York City. In the distance, the master of Apokolips could hear the sounds of glorious battle. By the howls and roars and echoes of destruction, he thought that perhaps his son Orion was somewhere about. But that wasn't so; Orion had died fighting alongside many of the heroes of this regrettable little world.

Darkseid moved towards the spot that Desaad had indicated, his stride of regal arrogance. He walked through streets he once had dreams of lording over and watched with cold black eyes as human trash scuttled about to avoid him. According to the information Desaad had gleaned, it was almost miraculous the way that Holocaust had done what he had.

After killing Dr. Doom, Holocaust surprised the Fantastic Four and easily overwhelmed them. With them as his prisoners, he used his psychic abilities to learn about this world and he then sought out the Church of Blood as a logical ally. His natural ability to alter thought patterns turned the normally calculating Church members into blood-crazed zealots.

Then Holocaust had infected each and every person he came upon with a small psychic worm that, like a computer virus, made its way through the populace of the world in less than a week. The only problem was it didn't work on Skrulls and it was, ironically, the Skrulls that had come to the defense of the world they had intended to conquer.

Now the psychic worm had died out as the people spread apart and the remnants of civilization were holding out for a miracle. Darkseid smiled as he considered the irony; he was the miracle.

He would not let his beloved Diana die here alone. She was the key as the only truly magical being left on Earth…in the galaxy so far as the master of Apokolips knew. He loved her with all of his dark black heart, even more than his own wife. So now he had come here to join with her in final battle with Holocaust. Let Loki and the other false gods have Apokolips! 

Darkseid would know Heaven by fighting with Diana!

Someone leapt out of the shadows at him, but Darkseid did not flinch. He was here to face death and he certainly would not cower before any mortal. Once the assailant was in the light, Darkseid noted that it was one of the world's heroes. By the tatters of the costume that hung from his bruised and bloodied body, Darkseid knew that it was the man known as Hawkeye. 

An archer and member of the Avengers, he was best known for being a wisecracker and general smart-ass. Now he was nothing more than a disheveled husk of slobbering and gibbering flesh. "I know you!" Hawkeye cried out in a voice that was hoarse as if he had been screaming too much. "You are…the enemy!" He reached back, looking for his trusty bow. It wasn't there. 

Darkseid folded his arms across his chest and watched the conflicting emotions that ran through Hawkeye's eyes. The psychic worm had ate away everything that made the man a hero and left him open to all of the horrors he had witnessed over the past few weeks. Darkseid wished he had the time to pursue the matter further; study of fear and dementia were always a favorite subject with him.

Twin beams of deadly energy escaped from Darkseid's eyes. The Omega Beams consumed Hawkeye and reduced him to cosmic ash. He then stepped through the black spot that marked the death of the hero and continued on into the heart of the city. 

His goal was the Baxter Building, a place Darkseid knew all too well. It was there many years ago that Superman and the Thing joined forces to beat Darkseid in a hand-to-hand battle. Darkseid grinned as he remembered the bout; those had been glorious days indeed! Perhaps that was another reason why great Darkseid was marching proudly to his death. Certainly he loved Diana, but with Superman and all of the others gone, there were no more challenges worthy of the attention of Darkseid. 

Two more times he was assaulted as he moved through dark alleyways, once by a woman demanding sex (he merely swatted her away) and second by a member of the Church of Blood (he slowly tore that one apart with his bare hands). At the foot of the Baxter Building her paused as the ground started to quake. The great battle was taking place not so far away and had been raging for over an hour. What a spectacle it had to be!

The doors to the building gave way as Darkseid paused and out stepped the man-creature known as the Abomination. Once a Russian agent, he had been exposed to gamma radiation and had become a giant green-skinned horror that had often battled the Hulk. "You and I…we battle, yes?" the Abomination bellowed.

Darkseid sighed and wondered where Diana was. She had to know that Holocaust was here because Desaad had provided all the necessary information to Darkseid. Darkseid had passed this on to the Amazon.

As of one cue, a tall and distinctly female form landed next to Darkseid. "I cannot believe you are here," she said.

"I cannot believe you are late. Had you been my queen, I would have expected you to be more timely," was the reply. It was hard for the novice to tell but Diana could actually see joy in Darkseid's face.

"I would never have been your queen," she lied.

"You will always be the queen of the kingdom of my heart."

Wonder Woman laughed. "So now the master of Apokolips becomes a poet! Where was this muse's spirit when we shared a bed?"

"I was charming enough to get you there…"

"Don't be so sure of who seduced whom, Darkseid," she said with a wicked smile.

Hawkman dropped down on the other side of Darkseid. "I can't tell you how sickening it is to picture you two making bacon…"

The Abomination stood at the doorway, scratching his lizard-skinned head. His massive muscles were rippling as he did so. "We fight…yes?"

His answer was Spider-Man who delivered a double-foot strike to the chest of the gamma-creature. There was a snapping sound as Spider-Man's leg broke and he fell to the ground howling. Hawkman shook his head. "Damn! That was stupid!"

The Abomination wasted no time in reacting to the attack. A giant green foot came down on Spider-Man's chest and a fountain of blood exploded into the air. Spider-Man screamed and then died a death so unworthy of a hero of his caliber.

"Oh my stars and garters," Kid Flash said as he entered a back room in the abandoned building. Before him was a large tarp that was moving on its own and the sounds of passion coming from underneath. "The world is ending and you two are…are…"

The flustered face of a young Bruce Wayne popped out from underneath. "Roy!"

"Bruce," the other hero replied, putting his arms across his chest. This sort of behavior he expected from himself and Aquagirl, but they were in their twenties. Bruce had just turned 18 and Batgirl was 19 at the most, though Kid Flash had to admit he could not really tell. "What in the hell are you doing? The world is ending, in case you forgot."

Batgirl's head popped out and Kid Flash noted that it was the first time he had ever seen her face. It was very pretty. "It is my fault…"

"Yeah, you set up a trap and he fell naked into you, right?" Kid Flash shook his head. "Please tell me you used protection…"

The awkward silence told him everything he needed to know and he then put his palms up to his eyes. "God save me from teenagers!" A voice in the back of his heads told him he was being a hypocrite, but he had no time to deal with foolish thoughts. "Get dressed you monkeys!" Then he added as a threat, "Wait until I tell the Huntress."

Bruce's eyes flashed briefly with anger; after all, he was once the past life of the Batman. All of the rage that made the Dark Knight was there, hidden under the exterior of a well-mannered teen hero. When Bruce spoke next, it was with the voice of someone much older. "Don't threaten me, Roy; that would be a mistake."

"Hey, I'm just trying to tell you that sex before marriage is not the way to go! This is wrong…" Kid Flash stopped and wondered why he was saying these things. Certainly Bruce and Batgirl were in need of a good stern tongue-lashing. Yes, what they had done was foolish, but Roy knew that in his heart of hearts, right or wrong, he did not hold such a conservative view of casual sex.

But then, Bruce, though he was the Batman per se, had never been anything but polite and nice to everyone. He liked girls, but as far as Roy knew, he was someone who held on to traditional family values. And for that matter, Batgirl was the most introverted person he had ever met! Not to mention someone with the discipline and training to never strain from duty. There was no way she should be having sex in the middle of a battle, it went against her very nature!

Something was not right here and he went for his communicator. Nightwing developed the device with technology left behind by the destroyed Justice League of Earth-T. It allowed for communication through Hypertime, but the lag was based upon the number of dimensions you were from the other person.

As it stood, there was a thirty-minute delay between the two worlds. "Van, this is Roy. Three to beam up," he said, mocking his favorite television show. "Focus in on my signal, Flying Fox and Batgirl." He turned it off and put it back inside his costume.

"Chicken! Too afraid to fight?" Bruce asked as he stood up.

"Put some clothes on man!" Kid Flash cried out, turning his head away. "Have some decency!"

Because his head was turned around, he never saw the fist coming at him.


	13. Chapter 13

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 13

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Earth-CA … 

Kid Flash fell back and struck the ground hard. He was quick to bring his hand up to rub his jaw. "You're gonna pay for that, Wayne!"

Bruce Wayne, naked, jumped and landed on top of Kid Flash, who began protesting strongly. "Get dressed, please!" the speedster called out, but the younger man was not listening. He was filled with a rage that just did not match his personality. Yes, Bruce Wayne had a soul that was wounded and bruised from the tragedies he had faced during his life, but Kid Flash had always found him so quiet and introverted.

A good solid right to his gut broke him from his thoughts and Kid Flash head-butted Bruce. Were he fighting the Bruce Wayne that was the Batman, such a blow would not have phased him, but the truth was that this particular version of the Dark Knight Detective was not as tough as he could be. The years he had spent in Limbo had softened him in comparison to Kid Flash.

Kid Flash was up on his feet in the blink of an eye and he quickly scanned the room for signs of Batgirl. His head was hurting, like he had been out drinking and he was starting to feel like his old self again. "Premarital sex is okay with me," he said to himself, gauging his own reaction. His stomach did not twist. "What the hell is the matter with me? Ow!" He kicked out and Bruce went flying across the room. Kid Flash looked down at his leg to see a bloody bite mark. "You snotty little bastard!"

Bruce rolled over, a large welt forming on his forehead. "I don't feel good," he announced before throwing up.

"Oh yeah, that's what I do after sex," Kid Flash said, shaking his head. "You need to get dressed so we can find Batgirl. Our recall has been activated and we have about twenty minutes before we're out of here."

Bruce coughed and wiped the blood and vomit from his mouth. He tried to speak when the entire building shook. His eyes went wide and both men were very quiet as another shockwave vibrated the area a few seconds later. "Something's coming," Bruce announced.

"Something big," Kid Flash agreed. 

The far side of the building exploded and a red and blue missile passed through the building and kept on going after it exited through the wall. Then there was another shockwave and Kid Flash reached down for a pair of boxer shorts. "Put 'em on, tiny," he said.

Bruce threw him a dark look but complied. There was no time to even get shoes as Kid Flash scooped up Bruce and ran out of the building. It was just in time because the Hulk, roaring and throwing curses, crashed through the remains of the building's roof. Kid Flash kept running until they reached a safe distance. He put Bruce down and the younger man smacked him in the shoulder and pointed back at the building.

Godzilla stomped forward again, his massive foot shaking the entire island of Manhattan as it came down and crushed concrete. The monster roared a high-pitched scream and blew out with radioactive breath. The green blast completely melted what had been an insurance building.

"This is getting dangerous," Bruce said quietly.

Kid Flash rubbed his sore leg. "And strange." He looked to the left. "I think that was Shyla who went through the building."

"Shouldn't we check on her?"

"Look at your costume there, Boxer Boy; you aren't going anywhere…"

Bruce shook his head. "What about Batgirl?"

Kid Flash threw his arms up and then checked his watch under his gauntlet. "Okay, this is what we're going to do…"

Batgirl's head hurt but not as much as her pride. She could not believe she had thrown herself at Bruce and then had practically had raped him. It violated all of the principles and ideals that she had lived her life by. She finished zipping her costume up and pulled her mask down.

She could see the giant monster that was tearing up Manhattan and she was actually a little more shocked that she did not see eight million New Yorkers running for their lives. It was an eerie feeling and she had to pause to collect herself.

She knew that she needed to get back to Kid Flash and Bruce, but simple embarrassment was keeping her rooted in place. She again looked up at Godzilla and was slightly surprised to see the Hulk jumping up to deliver a punch to the monster's jaw. Godzilla actually stepped back slightly, a testament to the Hulk's power. Batgirl was quite familiar with the history and abilities of the Hulk, as he had been required reading when she had first started training under the Batman.

Her heart started to ache slightly as she remembered her dead mentor. He had been strong, so strong in fact that she knew that her recent activities were simply a response to what she saw as the perfect man. The forces of darkness in Gotham City, though, rallied against the Masked Manhunter and his allies. Only Batgirl was able to escape and that had only been through Spider-Man's intervention. He had gone to Gotham City to enlist the Batman's aid in reclaiming New York.

She wondered where Spider-Man was.

Super-Woman tried to stand up but couldn't. She took a deep breath and tried to levitate off of the ground, but she felt too heavy. She knew what it was: Kryptonite poisoning. 

Different realities actually had different versions of green Kryptonite. On a quantum level, they were all different and they had slightly different effects on Kryptonians like her. If she were exposed to some from her home dimension, then it would rob her of her powers and eventually kill her. It appeared that the Kryptonite from this world gave her the flu.

Kid Flash appeared next to her and she noted that his uniform was torn on the leg. It was the first time she had ever seen that; normally he was too fast to get his clothes ruined. He saw her eyes looking at his wound. "Bruce bit me," he offered as he helped her to stand. Before she could react he tapped the automatic recall device on her belt. "We've got to go; we are way under strength."

She was in no condition to argue. "How did this go so wrong so quickly?"

Kid Flash shrugged. "Its almost like there is something in the air here, something that drives you insane."

"It is possible, I suppose, that Holocaust has some sort of telepathic abilities, something we've never encountered. It could explain why this world fell into ruin so quickly." She took another deep breath to try and calm her stomach. "Of course, it could be the water."

"What about the Hulk?"

She used her telescopic vision to seek out the green behemoth and found him, surprisingly, inside Godzilla's mouth, punching teeth out. "I don't think we can help him; the rage that burns inside Bruce Banner is far too deep to be cut out. Given time, I'm sure he could be helped with therapy…"

"Drugs…"

She scowled. "I'd rather change attitude as opposed to brain chemistry, but I see your point. He does seem a little…"

"Tense?"

"Yes," she admitted. She had actually grown quite fond of Bruce Banner over the past few weeks. In him she had found a kindred spirit, or so she had thought. Shyla also had deep rooted emotional issues from her time as a super-villain or even when she had been a young, arrogant scientist on Krypton. Someone had actually died because of her. "I think this world is beyond our help; it is tearing itself apart."

"But, aren't we sworn to protect Hypertime?" Kid Flash asked, referring to the Warden's charter. "Aren't we violating our duty?"

"There is no evidence that Holocaust presents a danger to Hypertime as a whole…"

"That's bull and you know it, Shyla," Kid Flash replied. "Sure, maybe we can't save everyone's life, but Holocaust is doing something that may be affecting the Prime Reality."

She nodded in agreement but then pointed out that he had activated their recall. "Yeah, but there is a difference between giving up and falling back."

"You've got leadership potential, you know that?" she said as she put her arm around his shoulder. "Get me to Bruce and then go round up the others."

"You are gonna get pasted," The Abomination promised as he punched a ham fist into an equally massive palm.

Hawkman looked down at the body of Spider-Man and shook his head. He had seen plenty of dead bodies during the Limbo Wars, but he had never seen a dead friend. He had liked the worrisome little bug-man. "I'm going to kick your ass," Hawkman said, swinging his mace in a wide circle to loosen up his muscles. He turned his head slightly to the rear so he could address Wonder Woman and Darkseid. "You think you can carry fatty up to the top floor?" he asked.

Darkseid coughed and Wonder Woman nodded. Too many had died for her to hesitate. She scooped up Darkseid and started heading to the upper floors of the Baxter Building.

"Nyet," the Abomination said as he curled his legs to leap. His powerful muscles would easily allow him to catch the Amazon and her cargo in flight. Hawkman moved with the speed of Kid Flash and smashed the mace down on the gamma-monster's knee. It popped and the Abomination fell.

Hawkman stood over him, swinging the mace again with the arm that wasn't in a sling. "You know what your problem is, you ugly bastard? You don't understand Thanagarian honor. You killed my friend…"

"Bah! You heroes talk the talk, but I know you are cowards at heart!" The villain rolled his huge form over to get some distance and slowly started to stand up. Green blood oozed from the wound on his knee. "You make all the threats you want, chicken man…"

Hawkman threw the mace and it struck the Abomination in the nose, making it explode in a burst of rubbery green flesh and blood. "I am not that kind of hero. I'm more conservative than most. I don't believe in rehabilitation or justice; I like revenge." The Abomination back up, holding his nose and Hawkman picked up his gore-soaked mace. "You killed my friend; I'm going to make you eat your privates."

Roaring, the Abomination jumped at Hawkman, but the hero was too experienced to be taken so easily. A single flap of the wings put him above the man-monster's attack and another swing of the mace to the kidneys resulted in a howl of pain. Hawkman landed and twisted even as his adversary struck a large garbage dumpster, reducing it to a crumpled mass of metal.

"I'm going to do this very slowly, too, because your kind only understands the lessons of pain. I was taught this at the academy, you know," Hawkman said as he slowly walked to wear the Abomination had landed.

The creature shredded the remains of the dumpster, but the Winged Wonder simply deflected any shrapnel with his mace. "You're going to die," Hawkman announced.

The Abomination charged again and expected Hawkman to go up so he timed his jumped to coincide when he thought his foe would do just that. Instead, Hawkman crouched down and then jammed the mace straight up with all of his Thanagarian strength. 

The people of Thanagar were stronger than Earthlings but he was not nearly as strong as the Abomination. He knew that and realized that his foe wasn't the brightest light on the Christmas tree either. His mace found a home in the crotch of the Abomination and Hawkman could not help but smile when he heard a feminine shriek come from his foe.

The Abomination felt into a fetal position and Hawkman stood up. "Earth is too liberal; on Thanagar the police punish the guilty before they are tried for their crimes, just in case they get off on a technicality." He walked over to the Abomination and listened as massive lungs struggled for air. He smashed the other knee. 

"This is impossible!" the Abomination roared in frustration. Green tears were filling his eyes. "I have fought the Hulk!"

Hawkman cracked the knee again and laughed. "Yeah, but the Hulk is a pussy."

Godzilla tried again to bite down on the infuriating little creature that was holding down his tongue and knocking out his teeth. He tried using his breath to cook him, but it seemed to have no effect on the flea. After the seventh tooth was forcibly removed, Godzilla decided it was time to take care of the problem once and for all.

Holding his head up slightly, Godzilla inhaled as strong as he could and the Hulk, standing on a slippery tongue and having nothing to keep his balance, tumbled down the monster's throat. Godzilla swallowed hard twice, just to make sure the little morsel made it down to his belly.

Godzilla waited a moment; there had been times in the past he had swallowed something and it had upset his stomach. It seemed, however, that the angry little human monkey creature was now bathing in the gastric soup of the monster's belly. Happy, Godzilla actually jumped up and down, clapping his arms together in joy.

The Hulk was no longer a threat and now a whole city lay ready to be trampled!

Inside a warm and wet place, two green eyes stared out into the darkness, growing angrier with each passing moment. Hydrochloric acid tried to eat away at its skin, but the skin was able to resist far greater things than that.

The eyes squinted as the anger rose in the creature. The Hulk did not like being eaten and the Hulk knew that was what had happened. The big lizard had swallowed the Hulk instead of fighting fair. 

Somewhere deep inside Godzilla, a giant chunk of highly radioactive Kryptonite generated a pleasing warmth that made the Hulk feel funny, as if he was being filled with renewed energy. The Hulk could feel himself getting stronger. And angrier.

And the angrier the Hulk got, the stronger he became. After several minutes, the Hulk smiled and reared back with his fist. With a roar of defiance, he punched down into the stomach lining of Godzilla.


	14. Chapter 14

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 14

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Earth-CA … 

Holocaust sensed the presence of two very strong minds approaching him and smiled. It had been too many days since he had engaged a real challenge and he welcomed the opportunity to test his mettle once again.

The front window, a magnificent piece of glass over three inches thick, shattered like it was only paper thin as Wonder Woman tossed Darkseid through before leaping in right behind him. Bullseye did nothing at first, unsure of how to react. Two acolytes moved to engage Darkseid and the assassin made his decision.

Two ink pens, thrown with uncanny accuracy, pierced the soft eyes of both acolytes and killed them both. Holocaust threw Bullseye a wicked grin. "You can't remain loyal to anyone, can you?"

Bullseye extended his middle finger and then whirled to face several more guards that were entering the floor via the elevator. He knew his place for the moment and left Holocaust in the hands of the more powerful beings in the room.

Holocaust ignored Bullseye for the moment and instead moved to stand only a few feet away from Darkseid. "Welcome, master of Apokolips, you have done me a great service," Holocaust said, bowing low at the waist. He brought his head up and winked. "I thought it would be many months before I could find transport to your world to personally oversee your execution."

"You dare to presume you are the better of Darkseid? Many dead fools believed as much," Darkseid replied as Wonder Woman came to stand next to him.

Holocaust straightened. "I presume many things, oh weak Darkseid; I presume that I am the only one to ever rid this miserable world of its heroes, something you have never been able to do." He swept his arm in a gesture meant to encompass the entire room. "From this modest base of operation I have succeeded where you have met your greatest failures! It is also here I will impregnate your bitch, another task you were never…up to performing."

Wonder Woman's face betrayed her revulsion at the thought. "I will take my own life first."

"I only need you from the belly down, whore," Holocaust said as he licked his dark teeth. 

"Never has great Darkseid even imagined that such a foulness could be given form." He reached down and took Wonder Woman's hand and seemed to gain strength from her. In truth, he was afraid for the first time in his life. Now Darkseid began to understand so many things about life that he had never even imagined. He cast a quick glance at the woman whom he loved so much that he was willing to sacrifice everything to be with her.

What had it been that had made her rebuke him finally, so many years ago? He had hoped to forget but the memories were burned into his mind. He had charmed the warrior princess when she had agreed to be a hostage in one of his grand schemes to add the Earth to his empire. In the weeks that followed, she had found herself attracted to Darkseid and his simple view of life. Darkseid believed that the universe could only find peace if all of the chaotic elements were removed, a philosophy that was very close to Wonder Woman's own.

Their affair had been passionate and surprising, but Darkseid's pride had gotten in the way. It had cost him her love and only now, when the end was near, did he swallow that pride. Still, he wished his old comrade Thanos, the Titan, were here to be by his side as well. This was the sort of thing he had lived for. "Why do we speak, let us end this."

Holocaust shrugged. "If you are so anxious to have me take your love as my bride, then so be it."

A wave of telepathic power washed over them and it took all of Wonder Woman's willpower to fight off the commands. Darkseid was completely unaffected. Instead he called upon the power of the Omega Beams and fired a blast at Holocaust.

The beams, normally able to reduce any matter to atoms, simply burned away the clothing that Holocaust wore. His pale body was a mass of muscles and scars, evidence of self-inflicted injuries. "I was hoping she was going to undress me…"

"Bastard!" Wonder Woman screamed as she launched herself at Holocaust. Her blind fury caused a telepathic backlash and Holocaust stumbled back. He managed to get his arms up in time to grab her by the wrists. "You are evil and you must be expunged!" she said as she head-butted him.

Darkseid was next to them and he punched Holocaust hard in the side. Darkseid was a being of great personal strength and the blow echoed through the room but it seemed to do nothing to their foe. Instead, Holocaust seemed to enjoy the pounding and he squeezed harder against the bracers that Wonder Woman wore on her arms. 

The bracers were magical in nature and therefore would never bend to Holocaust's will or strength. The creature realized this and in frustration he shoved Wonder Woman back. Darkseid backhanded Holocaust with a strike strong enough to knock down the Washington Monument. 

It didn't even break the skin.

"You do not understand, little god; I am complete now. I have absorbed enough essence of life that I am invincible." He threw his head back and let loose a primal scream. "I am the omega of the universe; the end is here and you should welcome it!"

Wonder Woman punched Holocaust in the groin and it was evident that he had felt the pain. "Welcome this, monster!"

Darkseid saw Holocaust's pain and knew that he had been correct in guessing that only a truly magical being could harm the monster. And indeed, he thought as he let loose with another blast of the Omega Beams, Diana was magical enough to bring to joy to dark soul, wasn't she? "You will fall!" he promised. It was an empty one, though, for even mighty Darkseid had his limits and the liberal use of his powers had drained him significantly. It was only his fear of not winning that kept him going.

On the other side of the room, Bullseye watched in awe as punches, kicks and blows were landed that should have shook the building apart. It was a testament to Reed Richard's genius that the Baxter Building was able to handle such punishment. 

He picked up an ashtray and planted it firmly in the skull of the last remaining acolyte. Around him were bleeding and quivering corpses, a few even making some strange moaning noises. He wondered if they realized their folly before they died? It made no difference now, as he knew he had to do something to help. He was the inside man in Darkseid's plan and that meant he should know what to do. 

He was aware that magic hurt Holocaust, but the monster had become so powerful that he wasn't sure that would be enough. He quickly looked around at the remains of the scientific equipment and weapons and realized that all he had was a bunch of junk to offer to the fight. Darkseid screamed and Bullseye turned to see that Holocaust had torn out his eyes. Wonder Woman was on her back over some chunks of broken concrete and not moving.

"I'm dead if I don't move," Bullseye commented to himself as Holocaust took a huge bite out Darkseid's shoulder. The assassin pulled out his cigarettes and quickly lit one and turned to throw down the match when he saw a large door and three dead technicians.

The door said "Negative Zone – Stay Out" and there was a post-it note that said "No duh" in Ben Grimm's blocky handwriting underneath the sign. Bullseye inhaled deeply and looked back to Holocaust who was kicking Darkseid back before preparing to have his way with Wonder Woman.

He looked back to the door and smiled.

Godzilla knew he had done something wrong and he stopped his march of destruction to try and burp. It didn't work and another sharp pain went form his stomach down to his tail. 

His first reaction was to go drink some water, but it hurt more when he moved, so he tried to be very still, wondering what it was that was hurting him so. His brain, though large for a reptile, simply was not adept enough at drawing conclusions to let him know that the Hulk was not simply going to lay down and be digested. 

Another blow and though the best did not know it, the Hulk had broken through the stomach lining and was now tearing its way towards the Kryptonite source of heat in the monster. Godzilla was an incredible being and was able to take pain in large amounts. Internal damage came with job of being a towering monster and it was some thirty seconds before he realized he was being torn apart from the inside out. 

Deep within the monster in a wet and warm environment, the Hulk rages as he had never raged before. So deep was his fury that he was actually popping blood vessels in his head and neck as he mindlessly beat his way toward the all-comforting radiation. Even the child-like and innocent personality that had personified the Green Behemoth was now long buried, covered over by a rage that simply would not stop. The Hulk had become an elemental force of anger and he would not be stopped until he killed everything.

Guts and gore meant nothing to him as he held his breath and by touch alone fought through the mass of organs and innards that made up the large creature that had swallowed him. Had he been of the mind, the repressed personality of Bruce Banner would have pondered why his alter ego was so enraged. Never had the Hulk been so furious, so determined to smash. 

As it was Bruce Banner was dead. All of that which had made him up had been burned away from the Hulk's brain. It seemed unfathomable but the change was quite permanent now. Anger had overcome reason and science. The primal rage that had allowed man to overcome his environment and make it to the top of the food chain now was personified by the seven-foot tall man beast that was destroying something that could kill Superman.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of bashing intestines, the Hulk touched the large chunk of Kryptonite. It was warm and it tingled his had as he touched it. Its green glow was soothing but not calming enough. In mere moments, the Hulk knew he had to destroy the Kryptonite so he could move on and smash something else. 

Even as Godzilla stumbled and fell, the Hulk took both arms and wrapped them around the giant rock.

Hawkman kicked the Abomination ahead of him and straight into the path of the falling Godzilla. The gamma-mutated creature had no warning as the giant lizard's bulk smashed weakened bones. The Abomination was nothing more than a bloody puddle when Kid Flash popped up next to Hawkman. "What the hell happened?" he asked as he looked at Hawkman's mace. It was covered with blood and fecal matter. 

"He pissed me off," Hawkman said as he replaced the mace on his belt. If Kid Flash wanted to say anything, he didn't. There was a general rule among super-heroes that you weren't supposed to kill, yet he had seen the Winged Wonder purposely push his sparring partner so Godzilla would crush him. 

During the Limbo Wars, Hawkman had killed many of Mon-El's forces and nobody had admonished him. Was it right to do so now? Kid Flash knew that the answer would have to wait and it was something that their team leader would have to deal with. "We need to get out of here. Super-Woman wants us to regroup back home and come up with a better game plan. Where's Wonder Woman?"

Hawkman pointed up to the top of the Baxter Building. "Her and Darkseid…"

"Darkseid? He's here?"

Hawkman slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, and if you would let me finish my story…"

"There's no time! We have to go help her!"

"You just said we had to leave," Hawkman said as he pressed a button on his belt buckle. He tapped it again to allow it to synchronize with Kid Flash so that they would all be drawn back to Earth-T at the same time. "Spider-Man is dead, killed by that guy under the dinosaur."

"Yeah, about that…"

"Don't try to lecture me, junior," Hawkman said with disgust. "I don't go around killing people for no reason but this guy had it coming…"

"Oh, so now you're the judge, jury and executioner?" Kid Flash screamed. He had not realized just how much the killing of the Abomination had bothered him.

"Yeah, I am. I'm the one with the law enforcement background. I'm the one with the military training. I'm not a scientist, or an industrialist or worse," he lowered his voice, "a loser who accidentally gained his powers. I earned my abilities."

Kid Flash punched him so fast that Hawkman was on the ground before he realized he had been hit. "You're too arrogant for your own good," the younger hero said.

Hawkman shook off the blow and slowly got back up to his feet. "That was lucky…"

He was down again, this time a punch to the gut he never saw coming. The mace came off of his belt and rattled down the street. Hawkman said something in his native tongue and then rolled onto his chest to push himself up. When he was standing, Kid Flash was still standing where he had been. "This isn't the time for this," he finally said.

"Fine, junior; you and me can settle this back home…"

"Where you'll be kicked out of the Wardens…"

Hawkman laughed. "For what?"

"Murder."

"Murder my ass," Hawkman said as he walked over to pick up his mace. "You have no idea what happened here. I'm claiming it was self-defense and then it's my word over your suspicions."

Kid Flash said nothing for a moment and then cast a glance at the pool of green blood that marked where the Abomination had died. Hawkman was right; he hadn't seen the entire battle. It was a technicality but if he brought charges up on Hawkman and couldn't prove them, the Winged Wonder could request that Kid Flash be removed from the team.

He had no choice but to assume that whatever he saw was within the guidelines of good heroing. "Fine, but I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Hawkman took off into the sky, away from the Baxter Building and Kid Flash considered going and helping Wonder Woman. He was outgunned in this fight and knew he had to get to Florida. Still, Hawkman's attitude towards killing bothered him and he realized that eventually it was going to cause problems with the team.

He wanted to count it off as having to do with the way people were affected by the air in this world, much how he and Bruce had gotten into a fight, but he knew better. He had seen the smile on Hawkman's face but he honestly did not know enough about the man to determine if that was normal. Had the Limbo Wars changed Hawkman or simply released him. What had actually happened then?

The story Hawkman told was that he had tried to stop the forces of Mon-El from getting into the Prime Universe. Had it been necessary to kill them? But then, he remembered, Arsenal had killed Mon-El and nobody had said anything about it.

He definitely had some issues with his teammates now and he could not wait to get back home.


	15. Chapter 15

DC/Marvel: Access Denied

Chapter 15

By Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

Earth-T … 

"I can only theorize exactly what happened," Nightwing said as he looked upon the membership of the Wardens. Many of them were pretty banged up such as Hawkman and Super-Woman. Kid Flash was agitated. Flying Fox was embarrassed. Aquagirl seemed relieved to be home.

None of their comrades from the earth of the psuedo Captain America had made it back with them. None from the so-called Crossover Earth or from the Prime Universe. The Huntress had attested to the final fate of the Human Torch.

The meeting had been called so that Nightwing could tell them what he knew based upon remote temporal video feeds that Super-Woman and Kid Flash had planted just before they had left the doomed world. 

"We now know that the world of Captain America had been infiltrated by a race of shape-shifters called the Skrulls. They had managed to murder or remove many of the heroes of that world and then had taken their place. The purpose was to join with Darkseid in finally conquering the planet. Darkseid hoped to gain resources and manpower while the Skrulls wanted a base of operations for conquest."

He took a sip of water before continuing. It was hard to keep their attention because he could see on their faces that they all had some sort of concerns. He needed to keep his team together though. "Because so many heroes had been replaced by sub-standard duplicates, it was relatively easy for Holocaust to cause the mayhem that he did."

"Cut the crap, what the hell happened to the bugger?" Hawkman asked. He got a stern look from Kid Flash and held up his blood-encrusted mace in reply.

**Earth-CA…**

Wonder Woman felt her clothes being torn and then the cold nails digging into the flesh of her thighs, spreading them open. She called upon her magically enhanced strength to prevent that from happening. To her horror as she opened her eyes, Holocaust was over top of her doing his best to prosecute his rape of her.

"Diana! Diana!" Darkseid cried out from across the room. He was bleeding badly and she was dismayed to see that his eyes had been ripped out. Despite all of the pain he was obviously in, he was still aware enough to shout out a warning to her. His strength became her strength and she reached down deep to find the strength to lash out. 

Her blow dislocated the jaw of Holocaust and sent him stumbling back. He would have tripped over Darkseid had he not caught him self in time. Unable to speak, dark dagger-like teeth dropping from his mouth, Holocaust came at Wonder Woman as she was getting up. A well-placed boot caught him in the gut and then a foot sweep brought him down.

It was obvious y the look in his eyes that the would-be conqueror of Earth was surprised and shocked by the level of ferocity that Wonder Woman was displaying. He could not know that her heart was breaking as she realized that perhaps the only person in her universe that ever loved her for whom she was and for the inner strength she possessed was now dying before her. Darkseid's gray pallor became a sickening blue as his lifeblood poured from several wounds.

She need to get to him and pulled out her magic lasso to bind Holocaust. Like a greased pig, the monster tried to get away and Wonder Woman finally summoned all of her magical strength to land one devastating blow to Holocaust's back. His spine snapped and he found himself paralyzed from the waist down.

It would not last for long as his jaw was already mending and it would only be a few minutes before his back was corrected. She quickly tied him and then rushed over to Darkseid. "My love," she said, trying to find the words to convey her emotions. What tragedy, she thought, that only she could see the real being beneath his exterior. Maybe, she thought, the world and the universe could have been better off under Darkseid's more conservative rule.

She was kidding herself and she knew it. Darkseid was evil, but that did not mean he could not love. "Diana," he choked. "You are well?"

She wiped a tear away. "Yes, your warning saved me and my honor is intact."

Darkseid smiled and she noticed that several of his teeth had been punched into his throat. "I knew you could do it…I knew…"

She felt him stiffen and then die and she pulled him close so she could bury her face. The madness the world had suffered was simply too much and she knew that now was the time she had to strike. She would not let Darkseid or any of the others die in vain.

"Yo! Wonder Jugs!" Bullseye called from down the hall.

Wonder Woman carefully laid Darkseid down and stood up. "Now is not the time, assassin. Do yourself a favor and run away."

Bullseye shook his head. "No, you stupid bitch…I've got someplace we can shove that ball of evil," he said pointing at Holocaust. "Me and Darkseid worked out a deal. I'm on your side, stupid."

Wonder Woman looked down at the corpse of Darkseid and decided to make a judgment call and trust Bullseye. She nodded and he ran over to where Holocaust was tied up. "You will both die very slowly," Holocaust warned as he struggled against his bonds. 

"Kiss my butt," Bullseye replied as he grabbed a hold of the lasso and started pulling. Wonder Woman was next to him and added her strength. They dragged Holocaust through the room and towards the lab where Bullseye had been. 

The villain shook his head as he took a good look at Wonder Woman. She was nude except for her boots, bracelets and tiara. "Just my damn luck," he said as he kept yanking on Holocaust's leash. The monster promised more doom and damnation as he did so. "I finally get to see you naked and I got to save the world."

"You'll feel better for doing it," Wonder Woman said dryly.

"Yeah, but I'm still horny," he lamented and as they finally reached the lab, the entire scope of how drastically his life had turned around hit him like a ton of bricks and he sat down in a chair. "I'm not sure how I feel, really."

Wonder Woman slammed Holocaust against the wall even as she used her strength to open the Negative Zone door. On the other side was a field generator that created a portal into the other dimension. It would not be enough to throw Holocaust in because eventually he might find a way out. No, somebody who was immortal would have to go with him and make sure he never threatened the Earth ever again. 

Once the Negative Zone had been full of life but that was no longer, not since the great Millennium Secret War a few years back. Now it was a dimension of dead planets and cold suns.

"No! I am Holocaust! I am…"

He never finished the sentence.

Outside the Baxter Building, Godzilla was slowly dying. Many creatures and many men had tried to bring about the death of the giant monster over the decades but none had been able to do so. The ultimate survivor, Godzilla had managed to escape the cold hand of fate more times than anyone could imagine.

Then the monster had encountered the Hulk and he was the doom of Godzilla. Deep inside the beast, the Hulk, crazed with an anger he could not control, was squeezing a giant piece of Kryptonite. That alien mineral had been what powered the atomic furnace inside the creature as it had been placed there by a paranoid government that felt it needed a weapon against Superman. 

How wrong they had been!

The Hulk's last thought had been one of joy at breaking the rock. The force of the implosion of radioactive mineral had started a chain reaction and before the Hulk could realize it, he was consumed in a Kryptonite/nuclear explosion that instantly vaporized both him and Godzilla.

The Baxter Building was gone as well. Wonder Woman had just started to push Holocaust in when the blast struck them and threw them into the portal. Bullseye was nothing more than dust as the radiation cooked him just before the shock wave tore him to pieces. The equipment that held the doorway open collapsed on itself, sealing the way forever as Holocaust tumbled through the Negative zone.

Melted to his back was the clay body of Wonder Woman and it was her magical corpse that oozed into the spaces between Holocaust's wrists and legs and the magic lasso that held them. In seconds, he was motionless, trapped in a magical prison that he could not hope to escape from.

Batgirl's recall activated just as the blast was about to strike her. She was too close and the electromagnetic pulse associated with the explosion damaged the recall circuits in her device and she was tossed into the stream of Hypertime.

**Earth-T…**

"As near as I can tell, Holocaust, Wonder Woman and Batgirl were all consumed by the nuclear explosion," Nightwing offered. The Flying Fox got up and excused himself. 

"I'll go check on him," the Huntress said. She was, after all, the closest thing to a mother he had and right now it seemed that Bruce Wayne had to deal with another tragedy.

She exited the room and followed him outside. He stood there, picking at his mask. He would not cry in front of her, she knew that, and she was really surprised how much like her father he was. "Want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. They were silent for a few moments and then he turned to her. "I wasn't in love with her…"

The Huntress nodded. "I know, but it doesn't change the fact that you will miss her."

"I liked her…"

"And she obviously liked you." She remembered the Batman in the Prime Universe and could understand how a young girl could become infatuated with such a presence. "Just don't forget her."

His eyes watered slightly and something seemed to change in him at that moment. It was almost as if an invisible cape and cowl had been placed on his shoulders and she would have sworn that he was the Batman when he spoke next. "I will never forget," he said. 

Several days later Nightwing called another meeting.

"It has been brought to my attention that some of the actions of our team on Earth-CA have been called into question," he started. Hawkman shifted in his seat, as did Kid Flash. The two had been avoiding each other since their return and had been spending most of their time with their girlfriends. 

For his part, Kid Flash was happy to be with Aquagirl. When he had gone to Florida to get her, she had been all alone. Aqualad, sensing that she would never join him, had returned to the sea. Her waiting for him only made Kid Flash fall in love with her more.

"We never have had an official charter," Nightwing said, "and that was because most of us are new at this team concept and I think we had a lot of trust in each other. Regardless, I have, with Shyla's help, put together a charter that this team will be expected to adhere to. There will be guidelines, policies and disciplinary measures." Hawkman coughed and everyone was quiet, expecting him to say something, but he simply smiled. "Past offenses are in the past, and unless someone has definite proof of wrongdoing by a member, then that is where they shall remain. From this day forward, however, things will be different.'

He paused and looked around the table. "Any questions?"

"It wasn't self-defense, was it?" Shyla asked. As part of the new charter, members who were suspected of having crossed a line of acceptable behavior had to go to a sit-down session with her. Her training in psychology made her the most obvious choice.

Hawkman, dressed in civilian clothes, stretched in the chair. "What do you think?"

"I think that you come from a particularly bloody Hypertime reality," she said offhandedly. "I think you are a lot different than any other Hawkmen we have encountered."

He smiled. "I'm a warrior."

"And you saw this creature as a challenge?"

"No, I saw a chance for revenge. He killed a good hero." Hawkman rubbed his face. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"No," she agreed and crossed her long legs, "but you realize that regardless of how you handled things in the past, you can't do it that way now."

"Why?"

"Because you aren't on your Thanagar anymore, Katar," she said, leaning forward. "You have to live by our rules now. If you don't like it, I can arrange for you to return to Limbo."

"You've killed," he reminded her.

"It was an accident," she reminded him.

Hawkman stood up. "So was my incident," he told her. "I wasn't done with him yet." He turned and left the room and Shyla could have sworn she felt a cold chill in the air after he left.

**Hypertime Reality XSD-897 (450,000,452 Allens from the Prime Universe)…**

The nuns were busy running around for it was time for a most unique event. For nine months they had waited, ever since the lady had appeared from the bright light and fell onto the floor of their small kitchen. 

The convent was located in a remote area, far from civilization. It was here that the nuns worshipped God and tried to understand their place in the universe. Nothing exciting ever happened except the one time the cute young man had gotten lost and had spent the night. How the prayers against temptation had gone up then!

Sister Mary held the Blessed Lady's hand, for that was what they called her. She did not wish to be called that, but hey all felt Cassandra was too plain for a woman who came to them directly from Heaven! 

At first, they did not know what to make of her but when she had discovered she was pregnant, they took it to be a sign. The girl had no idea of where she had come from, only that she had been part of a group that had been fighting a devil. Surely she was some sort of blessed being come to Earth to deliver a champion. The nuns knew that the world was full of evil and any help from the Almighty was appreciated.

Cassandra had stated that the father was Bruce, and the nuns were beside themselves trying to figure out the significance of the name. It wasn't the name of any saints. Perhaps that was what the Asian people called God, one sister had announced. They had inquired of Sister Francis Osaka and she had shaken her head. "Bruce is Bruce," she had replied.

It didn't matter, though, for they were convinced that it was the child that was special, even if the mother was a little flawed. Dare they hope he was the child foretold to return to Earth and lead mankind into splendor and paradise?

After several hours of screaming and panting, Cassandra finally gave birth to a healthy young boy; a boy the nuns held up to the Heavens and proclaimed that they would ensure he understood his destiny.

As Cassandra drifted off into sleep, her child suckling silently, the nuns were busying themselves for their new messiah.

End


End file.
